The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, says the country’s leadership may be forced to reimpose lockdown restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to what happened in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State today, Monday, May 4.
President Muhammadu Buhari had put Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on lockdown since March 30, 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 which has infected over 3.5 million people across the world.
With the lockdown lifted on Monday, May 4, many people, especially in Lagos and Abuja, have been seen violating safety measures advised by the government.
Social media has been flooded with images and videos of people in packed buses, rowdy crowds queuing at bus stops, and packed queues at different bank branches.
While speaking during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday, Ihekweazu acknowledged that initial reports across the country ‘are not too pleasing’. The NCDC DG appealed to individuals and corporate organisations to take responsibility so that the exposure and transmission of the virus can be properly managed.
He said the PTF will hope that Nigerians will learn how to normalise going about daily lives while also adhering to the preventive measures advised by the government.
Ihekweazu warned that an explosion in infection figures will mean that the lockdown may be reintroduced to control the spread of the coronvairus disease.
He said:-
“We knew today would be a problem because for the first time people were let out of their homes.”
