Abba Kyari: Everyone at the burial to be tested for coronavirus - Public Health Dept

The Public Health Department of the FCT Administration (FCTA) has said that all individuals present at the Gudu Cemetary where Abba Kyari was buried today will be stated for COVID-19.

Kyari who was the Chief of Staff to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Retd.) died on Friday of COVID-19 related complication in Lagos.

A video surfaced online where a man (one of those who place the corpse in the grave) disposed his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in public, putting members of the public at risk of contamination.

In a statement signed by Dr Mohammed Kawu, Ag Secretary Health and Human Services Secretariat FCTA, the act was condemned and deemed unprofessional.

The statement reads:

"The Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCT Administration has noted with concern the video trending on social media, showing a man pulling off his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) unprofessionally after participating in the burial of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Malam Abba Kyari, at the Gudu cemetery, Abuja.

"The Public Health Department has since taken the necessary action.

"The said PPE left over by the individual has been professionally evacuated and the entire cemetery has been decontaminated.

"In addition, all the individuals including the man in question that participated in the burial and were not properly kitted have been identified and are being isolated.

"Necessary tests will be conducted on all of them to determine their level of exposure and ensure that they do not infect other people.

"The Administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID 19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

"Residents are therefore urged to remain calm and rest assured that the FCT Administration will continue to do all that is necessary to curtail and eventually end the spread of the Coronavirus in the FCT."