NEWS
Why we can’t end lockdown anytime soon – FG explains
Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, has revealed why the lockdown measure could not be relaxed amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, TopNaija.ng reports.
President Muhammadu Buhari, had on March 29 ordered a lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states for 14 days to curb COVID-19 spread. Many states had also followed suit.
But as the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the President on April 13 extended the lockdown for 14 more days. As of the time of filing this report, the coronavirus had spread to 26 states and the FCT, with 1,095 cases recorded across the country by the NCDC. While 208 patients had been discharged, 32 had died.
The new cases were 80 in Lagos, 21 in Gombe, five in FCT, two each in Zamfara and Edo, and one each in Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
Speaking on Friday at a media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said it was not yet time to relax the lockdown.
He noted that although the lockdown was having negative effects on the economy as it was impeding Nigerians’ ability to go about their daily activities, he said it was vital to be patient and endure the lockdown further to ensure a safe and healthy society when the economy would be reopened.
He said, “We will eventually exit this stage and restart our normal life but that stage is still a while to come and I ask for your endurance, support and patience. Lots of efforts are going on across the world to find new therapy, to find vaccine.
“Everybody is pushing hard along this direction. We need unprecedented level of caution to continue carrying out the preventive measure that we have advised many times on this platform.
“Many families have not been able to bury their dead, rescheduled their marriages and baptism and everything they are doing. In a way, life is in suspense. Everyone recognises the sacrifice Nigerians have made but we really have to encourage one another to continue to a position where we can relax some of that (lockdown) but until we get to that place, we have to continue in the short term.
“We are working hard to reach a point where we can relax some of these measures but we are not there yet. We ask you to join us to continue this journey with us and amplify these messages that we are giving. We are happy to have the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress here with us today (Friday).”
Ihekweazu added that the citizens must remember that the most vulnerable people were the elderly and people with other illnesses.
“We must protect them. In protecting them, if they are living in the village, leave them there and support them with whatever resources you have. But please, now is not the time to encourage travelling,” he added.
Mathew
April 25, 2020 at 9:06 am
What going on here, u are just saying this because u never lack anything especially food pls tell ur govt to do the needful
Hon Ekpomiemene Emmanuel ebifede.
April 25, 2020 at 10:01 am
I am not accepted that because what you are saying is a trouble you want to cause in the country Nigeria, this lockdown it affected the people of Nigeria an OK because you have money to eat why not think of others, people that have know work the are more than the people that working, an do you think is the one one cop of Rice you shared or give out is what feeding the people, iam not agreed with that, so pls the government should open the lockdown let the people go work, we know there is a sickness in the world but you as government lock people in door without paying people of the agreement you made keeping human been in ungad why an do u think the one one cup of Rice you shared is what the people are feeding with for one months. Known empowerment nothing how do you think the people will eat without working so please government do put another days on this issue on grants because their will be a trouble or problems of war in this country.people are ungad ungred know food know money because the are no more going to work how can the feed so please government don’t bring war in this country Nigeria we are in peace living now so the indoors let it be released open let people go to work an feed then serlf please government do not bring caused of war in all the state in Nigeria please open let people go to work an feed then serlf with their children please released the people to go work don’t bring war in the country Nigeria.please government do not used peoples of Nigeria to do Business. I HON EKPOMIEMENE EMMANUEL EBIFEDE did not are agreed with that.
Hon Ekpomiemene Emmanuel ebifede.
April 25, 2020 at 10:30 am
I am not accepted that because what you are saying is a trouble you want to cause in the country Nigeria, this lockdown it affected the people of Nigeria OK because you have money to eat why not think of others, people that have know work the are more than the people that working, an do you think is the one one cop of Rice you shared or give out is what feeding the people, i am not agreed with that, so pls the government should open the lockdown let the people go work, we know there is a sickness in the world but you as government lock people indoor without paying people of the agreement you made keeping human been in ungad why, do u think the one one cup of Rice you shared is what the people are feeding with for one months. Known empowerment nothing, how do you think the people will eat without working,so please government do not put another days on this issue on grants because their will be a trouble or problems of war in this country.people are ungad ungred know food know money because the are no more going to work, how can the feed, so please government don’t bring war in this country Nigeria we are in peace living now so the indoors let it be released open let people go to work an feed then serlf please government do not bring caused of war in all the state in Nigeria please open let people go to work an feed then serlf with their children please released the people to go work don’t bring war in the country Nigeria.please government do not used peoples of Nigeria to do Business. I HON EKPOMIEMENE EMMANUEL EBIFEDE did not are agreed with that.