By Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, Monday, said the country will experience an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases owing to the gross disregard for safety guidelines by citizens.
Residents in Lagos, Ogun and FCT trooped out en-masse on Monday, besieging banks, markets and motor parks as the gradual easing of the total lockdown commenced yesterday, Monday 4th.
Ihekweazu, while speaking at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja,Monday, said government may be forced to issue another lockdown if the confirmed COVID-19 cases increases.
“It is not the guidelines per se, it is the thinking behind it. How do we want to manage the risk of increase and transmission? Today, we might forgive a little bit because it is the first day.
“We will have infection because of what happened today, no doubt about that. But how can we learn from the mistakes of today into tomorrow, next tomorrow so by Friday hopefully we have normalised some of these things.
“Yes, we knew today would be a problem because for the first time, people were let out of their homes but now they are out and we have seen the sunlight again, the challenge for us as a society is how do we now organise ourselves to mitigate these risks and limit transmission? .
“We might have a few extra infection today and tomorrow but what we don’t want is an explosion of new infections. .
“If we do have that infection, there will be almost no choice left for the leadership of the country than to ask all of us to go back into our homes.
“So, for the benefit of coming out to reopen parts of the economy, there is a price to pay which is to reorganise ourselves to do this safely.” Chikwe Ihekweazu said.
Blackboxnigeria reported earlier that the Federal Government had ordered a gradual easing of lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, the Lagos State Government subsequently allowed for movement in the state, while dishing out new directives on how to curb the pandemic as economic hubs opened around the state yesterday, 4th.
