COVID-19 FG Considering Lockdown In Lagos, Abuja, Plateau

The Federal Government is contemplating lockdown in part of Lagos, Abuja, Plateau, and Kaduna, as COVID-19 cases shot up in those areas.

National Incident Manager, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mukhtar Muhammed, in an interview on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme lamented the sharp increase in COVID-19 in the affected states.

He said even if there would be a lockdown, it would not be total.

Muhammed said a couple of weeks back, the PTF analyzed the data and identified the hot spot local government areas.

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He said mostly, the areas affected were the urban local governments in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Plateau, saying that even in most other states, it is the urban areas that were involved.

So, if we are going to have any restrictions, it will be in these areas. The urban areas are the most affected and that is why we have these super spreaders and that is where we are going to target.

“We have analyzed that and we are advising the states based on the data that these are the focused areas where these transmissions are more than the others,’ he said.

According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Lagos has reported 47,471 coronavirus cases since the inception of the virus, with 302 deaths, with active cases standing at 8,311.

Abuja, with 16,470 cases, has recorded 125 deaths, with active cases standing at 5,381 cases, while Plateau, with 7,801 cases, has recorded 53 deaths, with 775 active cases.

In a related development, the Federal Government had on Monday cautioned Nigerians against patronizing unapproved vaccines for the COVID-19 or other ailments.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Boss Mustapha said this at the joint national briefing of the taskforce.

This is as he also confirmed the existence of the new variant of the COVID-19 virus, first seen in the United Kingdom, in the country.