If compliance to lockdown guidelines is continuously violated, we may be pushed to review it, says PTF

By JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on coronavirus (COVID-19) has urged Nigerians to continue to respect and follow all the guidelines instituted, failure to which it may be pushed to review and possibly change them if compliance with the eased lockdown guidelines continues to be violated.

The national coordinator of the PTF, Dr. Sani Aliyu, gave this warning at the daily briefing of the Taskforce on Thursday.

He said: “While we have allowed the relaxation of the lockdown, we are putting measures in place to curb COVID-19 spread. Our modelling shows that the positive effects of full compliance with the Eased lockdown will be very similar to the effect of a full lockdown. This is why we need everyone to fully comply with all the guidelines issued.

“Please respect and follow all the guidelines we have instituted. If we continue to see violations of these guidelines, we will be pushed to review and possibly change them.”

While, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has made a U-turn on the PTF’s earlier position on the protocol of self-isolation of returning travellers into the country.

Ehanire, while responding to questions stated that the protocol had been reviewed and quarantine was adopted instead.

He said, “The policy we have now is that anybody arriving Nigeria from anywhere whether by air, land or by sea will go into quarantine for 14 days. During those 14 days, they will be observed for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 disease. They will be tested at the beginning and at the end.

“We don’t have a provision for isolation at home. At the very beginning, we had that provision that if you came in and did not have a symptom, you isolate at home. Since then, all the cases we are dealing with now came in and multiplied. In order to reduce the incidence of cases coming in and then forming clusters of new infections, the provision has now changed to what we call isolation-one or quarantine.

“Quarantine is for those who have not been confirmed or who are under isolation. If during the period, signs and symptoms show up, they will be tested. If they are positive, they will go to treatment centres. If, after 14 days, they show no symptoms or signs and they are tested and are negative, they are free to go. That is the protocol we have now.”

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on his part said his engagement with the Lagos Police Commissioner, has yielded positive result.

He said: “Based on my conversation with the Police Commissioner in Lagos, he has instructed his men to desist from harassing journalists.” (Daily Sun)