…says coronavirus not a joke, matter of life and death
…urges Nigerians to observe, restrictions, lockdown to avert national disaster
Worried by the raise in the number of COVID-19 pandemic cases, fatalities and new trend of community transmission, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday extended the 14-day lockdown imposed on Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States by another 14 days.
Buhari said the extension followed briefings and report from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the various options offered in a bid to rout the deadly disease.
Nigeria, according to him, now has 323 confirmed cases in 20 states with 10 fatalities. Lagos State remains the center and accounts for 54% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria. When combined with the FCT, the two locations represent over 71% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria.
As at March 30, there were 131 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 12 states with two fatalities.
Buhari, in a broadcast on Monday evening, said : “Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps – First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners.
“With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight.
“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peter’s Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax.’’
Persecondnews recalls that the President had on March 29 directed residents of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to stay at home for an initial period of 14 days starting from Monday, March 30 which expires by midnight today.
“Today, the cessation of movement, physical distancing measures and the prohibition of mass gatherings remain the most efficient and effective way of reducing the transmission of the virus. By sustaining these measures, combined with extensive testing and contact tracing, we can take control and limit the spread of the disease.
“Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps – First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners,’’ Buhari said, reminding Nigerians that the previously issued guidelines on exempted services shall remain.
He added: “This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable.
“We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer.
“Many State Governments also introduced similar restrictions. As your democratically elected leaders, we made this very difficult decision knowing fully well it will severely disrupt your livelihoods and bring undue hardship to you, your loved ones and your communities.
“However, such sacrifices are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our country. They were necessary to save lives. Our objective was, and still remains, to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and to provide space, time and resources for an aggressive and collective action.
“The level of compliance to the COVID-19 guidelines issued has been generally good across the country. I wish to thank you all most sincerely for the great sacrifice you are making for each other at this critical time.’’
The President , however, acknowledged “the massive support from traditional rulers, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) during this pandemic crisis.
Buhari also acknowledged the support and contributions received from public spirited individuals, the business community and international partners and friends.
To the media, Buhari said:“ I must also thank the media houses, celebrities and other public figures for the great work they are doing in sensitizing our citizens on hygienic practices, social distancing and issues associated with social gatherings.
“As a result of the overwhelming support and cooperation received, we were able to achieve a lot during these 14 days of initial lockdown.
“We implemented comprehensive public health measures that intensified our case identification, testing, isolation and contact tracing capabilities.’’
According to the President, the country to date has identified 92% of all identified contacts while doubling the number of testing laboratories in the country and raising our testing capacity to 1,500 tests per day.
He announced that more than 7,000 healthcare workers on infection prevention and control had been trained with the deployment of NCDC teams to 19 states of the federation that have so far recorded coronavirus.
Buhari said Lagos and Abuja had the capacity to admit some 1,000 patients each across several treatment centres, noting that many state governments have also made provisions for isolation wards and treatment centres.
“We will also build similar centers near our airports and land borders. Using our resources and those provided through donations, we will adequately equip and man these centres in the coming weeks. Already, health care workers across all the treatment centers have been provided with the personal protective equipment that they need to safely carry out the care they provide.
“Our hope and prayers are that we do not have to use all these centres. But we will be ready for all eventualities.’’
He disclosed that he had signed the Quarantine Order and additional regulations to provide clarity in respect of the control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic which would be released soon.
Buhari also lauded what he called the incredible work being done by healthcare workers and volunteers across the country especially in frontline areas of Lagos,Ogun States and the FCT, describing them as heroes.
“As a nation, we will forever remain grateful for your sacrifice during this very difficult time. More measures to motivate our health care workers are being introduced which we will announce in the coming weeks. As a nation, we are on the right track to win the fight against COVID-19.’’
Buhari also thanked members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for all their hard work, patriotism and exemplary zeal and resilence.
On palliatives, He said the measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies would be increased.
“I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week.
“To ensure our economy adapts to this new reality, I am directing the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Communication and Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Transportation, Aviation, Interior, Health, Works and Housing, Labour and Employment and Education to jointly develop a comprehensive policy for a “Nigerian economy functioning with COVID-19”.
“The Ministers will be supported by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and Economic Sustainability Committee in executing this mandate.
“ I am also directing the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Security Adviser, the Vice Chairman, National Food Security Council and the Chairman, Presidential Fertiliser Initiative to work with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure the impact of this pandemic on our 2020 farming season is minimized.
Persecondnews reports that globally, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is over one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand while in the last 14 days, over 70,000 people have died of the disease.
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