PYP And Dealing With The Corona Virus Pandemic

In light of the ongoing Global CoronaVirus pandemic, coupled with the total lockdown order by the Federal Government Of Nigeria, the Powerful Young Project has taken measures towards protecting our stakeholders(pupils, volunteers, and interns) which is the suspension of all activities until the situation has been controlled. At a time, when the world seems to have come to a standstill and economic activities are being suspended, one is left to wonder what exactly is this virus and how serious it is?

What Exactly Is This Virus About?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). They were originally transmitted from animals to people.

This new  CoronaVirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.

The disease is a global disease as over one million people have tested positive and 40,000 cases of dead victims has been recorded by WHO, with Nigeria recording 6 dead victims as at 7th of April.

What are the symptoms?

According to the WHO, signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, however, In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, multiple organ failure and even death.

Current estimates of the incubation period – the time between infection and the onset of symptoms – range from one to fourteen days. Most infected people show symptoms within five to six days, However, infected patients can also be asymptomatic, meaning they do not display any symptoms despite having the virus in their systems. Visit here for more information on this virus.

What is being done to stop it from spreading?  

Since a vaccine has not been developed yet, a growing number of countries, Nigeria inclusive, have introduced a series of sweeping measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including nationwide lockdown, bans on gatherings, closure of schools, restaurants, bars and sports clubs, as well as issuing mandatory work-from-home decrees.  International airlines have also been cancelled world over. Some countries have banned non-citizens from entering their territories, and several more have evacuated their citizens from abroad.

What are the Protective measures to be taken?

You can protect yourself and help prevent spreading the virus to others if you:

• Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub
• Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze
• Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell and in general because symptoms are not shown on time
• Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household 
• Don’t Touch your eyes, nose, or mouth if your hands are not clean
• Social distancing is key. Stay away from parties and large gatherings of any kind

Protective Measures Taken By PYP 

• All these preventive measures have been taught to the PYP kids before the situation escalated and we encouraged them to teach friends and loved ones at home and we do hope they keep up with this culture and practice them.
• Suspension of all PYP activities to curb the spread
•  We also sent text messages to all parents informing them of the new development and as well as prepared a letter together with a hygiene pamphlet that we distributed to the kids who didn’t get the messages sent.

PYP’s Continuous Learning Approach

In the meantime, we have started sending messages of assignments weekly to the PYP kids as our own way to provide continuous learning outside of the classrooms which will help to keep them practicing and preparing for their upcoming Common Entrance Examination as we don’t know if the exams will be rushed when the situation is over.

As we continue to stay safe, we wish those who are already infected with this virus the strength to overcome it and we hope everyone comes out of this stronger as we daily dream of a world free of this virus and  instead filled with opportunities. Till then, let’s keep up the hope and continue to stay strong. Stay Safe.