The Presidential Task Force on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has said even though it is not threatening another lockdown due to the second wave of the virus, it may impose it if Nigerians continue to flout the laid down protocols to flatten the curve.
The National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, warned that if the country starts having huge numbers of deaths and the health system cannot cope, then the Task Force will be left with no choice but to announce another lockdown.
‘So, in as much as I have been told that I am threatening a lockdown, I’m just saying the fact that we need to comply with these protocols, make sure we use our masks, physical distancing and hand sanitiser.
‘There are countries in the world that are currently opened, their airports, businesses are opened but they make sure everybody wears a mask and they have been able to keep their numbers down. And if we do the same we will be okay but if we don’t and we get overwhelmed, and we start having huge numbers of deaths, and health system is not coping, what do you think will happen? I rest my case.’
‘Why flights were not banned from the UK, SA? It was not an easy decision. What we need to remember is, we had a protocol back in September. This protocol requires that passengers coming to Nigeria do a test for COVID-19 and has to be PCR within five days before they can board the flight. When they come into Nigeria, they are supposed to self-isolate for seven days and then do a repeat test and confirm they are negative before they exit isolation.
‘So, in addition to the policy we had, we also put in place additional stringent measures. So one, if you are coming from the UK and South Africa, you have to use the portal and you have to pay for the test at day seven after arrival, you have to upload all your documents into the portal. “Secondly, we have a register for passengers coming in from the UK and South Africa, to enable us actively trace these passengers and make sure they do the test at day seven. If by day 10 they do not test, the code immediately puts you on the penalty Laide, we don’t even wait for say 14.
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