By Aiyeku Timothy
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, has disclosed that the Federal Government is considering an extension of the curfew hours as part of its response to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2020 declared an 8pm-to-6am curfew which was eventually relaxed to 10pm-4am and later 12am to 4am. It is yet to be reversed till date.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Aliyu said Federal Government was in talks with the state governments on the review of the curfew.
The PTF coordinator sensitised health workers on patients who present persistent fever “especially if there are respiratory symptoms or shortness of breath; it is possibly going to be COVID.”
Aliyu urged vulnerable persons to “please stay at home,” especially those who were above 60 or are diabetic and other core morbidities.
He said, “While we are not in (another) lockdown yet, it is in your best interest, if you fall within this group, to lock down because now is the time to actually keep away from the general public and mass gatherings.
Aliyu added that Nigeria was one of the few countries that had a two-test policy, which was introduced in September.
He stated, “Nigeria is one of the few countries that have had a double testing policy. When the problem arose with the UK and later on South Africa, a lot of countries temporarily banned flights from the UK. And what did they do? They implemented the very same policy that we had from more than four months and running.”
On the possibility of a fresh lockdown, Aliyu said, “On lockdown, the decision for lockdowns is in whose hands? It is not in the hands of the PTF, it is in the hands of all of us the general public, because who wants to have a lockdown?”
