COVID-19: Buhari extends lockdown for 14 days

SUNDAY ODE, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the lockdown order in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for another 14 days.

He disclosed this in a nationwide broadcast on Monday. He said the extension became necessary in order to consolidate on the gains of the contact identification, tracing and treatment that the first 14 days lockdown in the affected areas had achieved.

According to him, the extension was necessitated also by the increasing number of confirmed cases and deaths being recorded across the globe owing to the continuous spread of the virus and also because the only known remedy at the moment is to control the movements of people.

“Today, the cessation of movement, physical distancing measures and the prohibition of mass gatherings remain the most efficient and effective way of reducing the transmission of the virus. By sustaining these measures, combined with extensive testing and contact tracing, we can take control and limit the spread of the disease.

“Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps – First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners.

“With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13^th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight.

“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peter’s Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax,” the President said.

Accordingly, President Buhari warned against ending the lockdown prematurely, noting that the consequences would be imagined that experienced.

He said: “the repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable.

“We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer.

On the palliatives to cushion the effects of the lockdown, Buhari said he had directed that the social register be increased from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households as persons to be catered for by government while the lockdown lasted.

“I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week,” he said.

President Buhari also noted that the impact of the pandemic would be heavy on the economy , saying  “To ensure our economy adapts to this new reality, I am directing the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Communication and Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Transportation, Aviation, Interior, Health, Works and Housing, Labour and Employment and Education to jointly develop a comprehensive policy for a “Nigerian economy functioning with COVID-19”.

“The Ministers will be supported by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and Economic Sustainability Committee in executing this mandate.”

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