The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha has stated that the Federal Government do not plan to re-introduce a total lockdown. He also made an appeal to state governments to ensure compliance with the PTF protocols, to stop the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise.
He stated, “The PTF continues to monitor the level of activities and compliance with the guidelines nationwide. Consultations will continue and tonight, I will be holding another round of video conference with the team of governors appointed by the National Economic Council to interface with the PTF.
“The PTF will re-emphasize its appeal to governments at the sub-national level as well as our security agencies to enforce the guidelines and protocols firmly. The PTF would also be meeting with the heads of these agencies to further fine-tune strategies to ensure compliance.”
Further, Mustapha said that the Federal Government will not re-introduce total lockdown in the country as a result of the increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
He said, “To go back to a total lockdown must be taken within the contest of what we desire to achieve after a lockdown of five weeks and we have seen how much we have fared.
“So, the issue of review, we might not have that in contemplation because you can’t move forward and begin to move backwards again.
“In terms of strategic implementation of our policies, we might not be looking towards that direction. We might be looking at how to strengthen what we have put in place and ensure compliance and other non-pharmaceutical interventions that we have put in place.”