The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on
Monday, insists 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, who spoke at a conference in Lagos, however,
appealed to Nigerians to adhere to all protocols outlined by the Presidential
Task Force on COVID-19.
The minister said, “On the issue of lockdown, 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
practicising social distancing, of washing hands, of ensuring that they do
gather in large numbers.
“If we do not do these, the surge will continue and with the
new strain of Covid-19 which is becoming much more difficult to handle than the
old strain, the Federal Government will continue to insist and encourage
Nigerians to please obey the Covid-19 protocols.
“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.”
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.
Many jobs were also lost as airlines, hotels, banks, amongst
others cut their workforce due to the crushing effect of the lockdown.
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