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President Muhammadu Buhari has ratified the extension of the phase two lockdown measures in response to COVID-19 by another four weeks.
This implies that all guidelines introduced to curb the spread of the virus under the second phase of the relaxed lockdown which took effect on June 1 will remain effective with slight modifications to address the economic, socio-political and health concerns as contained in the latest report by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the PTF who is equally the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, boss Mustapha, at the press briefing of the task force in Abuja on Thursday.
Mustapha said state governments and authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be mandated to enforce non-pharmaceutical measures and intensify measures such as contract tracing in the next four weeks.
The SGF said, “After due consideration of the recommendations, Mr President approved the following: maintaining the current phase of the national response to COVID-19 for another four weeks in line with the modifications reflected in the report.
“He approved the partnering states and local governments to improve community sensitisation and engagement to the COVID-19 response; and mandating state authorities and the FCT to enforce non-pharmaceutical guidelines, primarily the use of face masks in public appearance and places.
“The President approved that state governments should be encouraged to collaborate with local government authorities to intensify necessary measures such as contact tracing, grass-roots mobilisation and risk communication; and strengthening of collaboration with other mandate groups at federal/state levels to harmonise the country’s COVID-19 response, on the short, medium and long-term basis.”
Mustapha said the recommendations were put forward to the President after due evaluation of the unique Nigerian situation as well as regional and global experiences.
He stated that the proposed changes were borne out of the desire to achieving the gradual re-opening of international air flights within established parameters; re-opening of rail transport within established parameters; granting permission to exit classes to resume ahead of examinations; allowing civil servants from Grade Level 12 to resume work; and opening recreational parks for supervised exercises.
Giving further details on the modified guidelines, the PTF National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, said the 10pm to 4am curfew would remain in place nationwide as bars, gyms and cinemas would remain closed.
He said the guidelines issued for worship centres also remained the same.
“Visiting of hospitalised patients remain limited to immediate family. And we continue to recommend a maximum of 20 people including family members when it comes to attendance of funerals and other essential gatherings such as gatherings that cannot be changed,” he said.
He also said schools would remain closed except for graduating classes.
Aliyu said, “However, schools must comply with the six recommended steps and required measures issued by the Federal Ministry of Education and which is available online.
“For government and other corporate offices, we are now extending work hours to the normal official hours from Monday to Friday with the mandatory use of non-medical face masks.
“We encourage work at home policy for civil/public servants below the Grade Level 12.”
The national coordinator said the National Youth Service Corps had been advised “to start planning ahead of resumption in future phases but not within the current phase of the response”.
He stated that while banks had been permitted to begin full operations, they were advised to reduce banking hall occupancy by customers to 50 per cent and occupancy of their offices to 75 per cent.
Aliyu said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was also working towards deploying technology to make results of COVID-19 tests available online.
He said, “The NCDC will continue to work, I am sure, with NCC (the Nigeria Communications Commission) and other parts of the IT industry. A very good example is working towards people accessing their results online. You have a COVID test done, you no longer have to rely on being phoned. It will allow persons to just log on and you will be given a number through your phone and you can access your own results.”
Aliyu equally dismissed COVID-19 testing for students and schoolchildren as preconditions to start classes.
Meanwhile, Mustapha said government has so far ensured evacuation of 8,000 Nigerians from abroad since the outbreak of coronavirus.
Source: Punch
This post was written by Obiajulu Joel Nwolu.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.