The Presidential Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has warned against the relaxation of restriction orders put in place to curb the spread of the disease, saying that it is capable of reversing the gains already achieved.
Some states like Rivers, Katsina, Bauchi, Ondo, and Ekiti had relaxed the restrictions they had earlier placed to enable people to observe Friday prayers and prepare for the Easter celebration.
While speaking at the daily media briefing of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja on Friday, the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, urged state governors to support the Federal Government in the effort to tackle the spread.
Aliyu said:
“We have noted that some states have started lifting the ban or relaxing containment protocols and this is really not the right time to do so – partly because we still have an ongoing pandemic which is global.
“It is also not the right time to do so because we could end up having real recrudescence of infections.”
He further stated that the pandemic is not limited to Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun, he stressed that Nigerians and their leaders have various roles to play to win the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
According to him,
“At this point, I am appealing to our local community leaders, religious and traditional leaders, as well as the state authorities to continue to support and encourage the public to maintain those protective measures that are important in getting on top of this infection.”
“There is also a very strong need for the state governments to work in harmony and align with the Federal Government in our effort to deal with this pandemic.
“This pandemic is not just an Abuja or Lagos issue; it is a national issue.”
In the same vein, the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on the control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary to the Government Federation, Boss Mustapha, also stressed that the fight can only be won if all tiers of government work together.
Mustapha added:
“I want to appeal to all subnational entities to recognize the serious nature of this situation and to synergise, so that together we can win the war.
“We have one national response. It is expected that each and every subnational response should fit into the national response, so that we can collectively deploy our resources, strategies and our personnel to directly deal with this unseen and uncommon enemy.”
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