COVID-19: FG reviews lockdown, decides on interstate travel ban

The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to review lockdown and the interstate state travel ban in Nigeria.

National Coordinator of the task force, Dr Sani Aliyu, said the roads would be opened when the bus termini in the country all had COVID-19 preventive measures in place.

Aliyu said this while speaking at the daily press briefing of the PTF in Abuja.

This comes at the time the PTF Chairman, Boss Mustapha, revealed that the Federal Government would next week decide on its lockdown policies, including the ban on interstate movements.

The PTF coordinator said the guidelines submitted by the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, was being reviewed and the roads would be opened as soon as it is safe to do so.

He said, “At the moment, we still have restrictions on interstate travel. But we have been linking up with the Federal Ministry of Transportation through the Minister of State for Transportation.”

Stating that the government have developed and given detailed guidelines that have been looked at, summarised and discussed at PTF last week.

“We have asked the Minister of State for Transportation to please engage with the road transport workers to make sure that the usual garages and parks that we have are ready in terms of guidelines that we have in place such as physical distancing, reducing the number of passengers per vehicle and provision of handwashing facilities etc.

“And I believe they are already working on this and hopefully, we should be able to open as soon as it is safe to do so,” PTF coordinator said.

Aliyu who expressed worry over the lack of compliance with safety protocols and urged states to increase the rate of their COVID-19 testing also asked them to make laws to make the nose masks wearing compulsory in public places.

Meanwhile, Boss Mustapha, said the Federal Government would at the end of the month take a crucial decision on the lockdown declared to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

Mustapha said, “At the beginning of the month of June, the PTF announced a one-month period for the implementation of the second phase of eased lockdown.

“We have continued to monitor developments nationwide in order to take informed decisions at the end of the month. We have exactly eight days to that point of decision.”

While answering a question on whether the government might consider a total lockdown again, Mustapha assured Nigerians that the decision that would be taken by month end would not any way amount to a change in strategy.

He said if there would be a change in strategy, it would be expected to depends on Nigerians.