Yusuf Bello| The Federal Government on Friday warned state governments to be mindful of the present situation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country and should not be in a hurry to relax measures already in place to curtail the spread of the virus.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, gave the warning at a press briefing in Abuja.
The federal government’s concern followed the decision of some governors to relax the measures against coronavirus spread in some states, to allow the residents to celebrate Easter.
Accordibg to Aliyu, rather than taking such decisions, authorities in various states need to know that the pandemic is not just about Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun, stressing that Nigerians and their leaders have various roles to play to win the fight against COVID-19.
Dr 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.”
“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,” he pleaded.
“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,” he stressed.
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