Speaking at a conference in Lagos, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Monday insisted that the Federal Government has no plan to impose a fresh lockdown on Nigeria as the country battles the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mohammed however appealed to Nigerians to adhere to all protocols outlined by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
On the issue of lockdown, the minister said, “I don’t think there is any time when the Federal Government has said it is going to have a second lockdown. However, the Federal Government is very unhappy that Nigerians are not adhering to the basic Covid-19 protocols of wearing face masks, or practicing social distancing, of washing hands, of ensuring that they do gather in large numbers.”
READ ALSO: Enugu State Government Opens Application Portal for 1000 Traffic Officers and Forest Guards Jobs
According to the Minister, if do not adhere to the basic COVID-19 protocols, the surge will continue and with the new strain of Covid-19 which is becoming much more difficult to handle than the old strain.
Mohammed added that, “The Federal Government is aware of the economic and social implications of a second lockdown but we want to call on Nigerians to help us, help themselves and help the economy, by adhering strictly to the Covid-19 protocols.”
It would be recalled that the Federal Government had in March 2020 locked down the Federal Capital Territory as well as Lagos and Ogun States for over five weeks as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. The lockdown had a tremendous effect on economic activities with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry putting the loss at about N3bn in the period under review.
Due to the crushing effect of the lockdown, many workers lost their jobs as airlines, hotels, banks, amongst others cut their workforce.
