It Is Not Yet Time To Relax Lockdown – FG

The federal government has said it is not yet time to relax the lockdown in the country despite the economic hardship resulting from the enforcement of the decision.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu stated this on Friday during a media briefing of the Presidential Task Force PTF on COVID-19 in Abuja.

Dr Ihekweazu said that although the lockdown was having negative effects on the economy as it was impeding Nigerians’ ability to go about their daily activities, 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 stated: “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).”

The NCDC DG further stressed 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.

Meridian Spy had reported that as at 11:30 pm 24th April, there are 1095 confirmed cases of #COVID-19 recorded in Nigeria.

So far, Lagos has 657 cases, Fct 138, Kano 73, Ogun 35, Gombe 30, Katsina 21, Osun 20, Edo 19, Oyo 18, Borno 12, Kwara 11, Akwa-ibom 11, Kaduna 10, Bauchi 8, Delta 6, Ekiti 4, Ondo 3, Rivers 3, Enugu 2, Niger 2, Jigawa 2, Abia 2, Sokoto 2, Zamfara 2, Benue 1, Adamawa 1, Anambra 1, and Plateau state 1.

Meanwhile, 208 patients have been discharged across the country with 32 deaths recorded so far.