COVID-19: Relaxing movement restrictions not ideal now, says presidential task force

The Presidential Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has cautioned against the relaxation of restriction protocols put in place to curtail the spread of the disease, saying that it is capable of reversing the gains already achieved.

Some states like Rivers, Katsina and Bauchi had relaxed the restrictions they had earlier placed to enable people to observe Friday prayers and Easter activities.

But speaking at the daily media briefing of the PTF in Abuja on Friday, the National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, admonished state governors to be aligned with the Federal Government in the effort to tackle the spread.

Aliyu said: “We have noted that some states have started lifting the ban or relaxing containment protocols and this is really not the right time to do so – partly because we still have an ongoing pandemic which is global.

“It is also not the right time to do so because we could end up having real recrudescence of infections.”

While noting that the pandemic is not limited to Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun, he observed that Nigerians and their leaders have various roles to play to win the fight against COVID-19 in the country.

According to him, “at this point, I am appealing to our local community leaders, religious and traditional leaders, as well as the state authorities to continue to support and encourage the public to maintain those protective measures that are important in getting on top of this infection.”

The national coordinator further stated: “There is also a very strong need for the state governments to work in harmony and align with the Federal Government in our effort to deal with this pandemic.

“This pandemic is not just an Abuja or Lagos issue; it is a national issue.”

The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on the control of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Secretary to the Government Federation, Boss Mustapha, who echoed what Aliyu said, observed that the fight can only be won if all tiers of government work together.

Mustapha added: “I want to appeal to all subnational entities to recognize the serious nature of this situation and to synergise, so that together we can win the war.

“We have one national response. It is expected that each and every subnational response should fit into the national response, so that we can collectively deploy our resources, strategies and our personnel to directly deal with this unseen and uncommon enemy.”

In his remark, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, did not have to be informed about the movement of Caverton Helicopters whose pilots were arrested in the state for violating COVID-19 restrictions.

According to him, they were on national assignment.

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