The Federal Government has announced the extension of the guidelines of phase 3 of the eased lockdown by one month with effect from Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
This follows the rising cases of coronavirus disease across the country and the expiration of phase 3 of the eased lockdown.
This disclosure was made by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, at the national briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday, January 25, 2021.
Mustapha said that over the last few weeks, the PTF had been closely following the rising number of infections reported daily in Nigeria and in other jurisdictions.
He stated that the daily statistics for Nigeria as at January 24, indicated that cases were 121,566, with about 1,270,523 tests conducted so far. The active cases were 22,834, which is about 19.4%, with 1,504 casualties and 97,228 patients discharged.
He also said that over 7 days ending January 23, the statistics showed that tests conducted were 58,974 while cases recorded were 11,179, with 62 deaths and 23,568 active cases.
What the Chairman of PTF on Covid-19 is saying
While speaking on phase 3 eased lockdown, Mustapha said the PTF is reviewing the guidelines on the implementation of phase 3 of the eased lockdown which is due to expire on Monday, January 25, 2021.
He said, “In view of the fact that our numbers are not abating, all extant measures prescribed in these guidelines are (subject to some modifications) extended by a period of one month with effect from Tuesday, January 26.’’
On PTF’s management of Covid-19, the PTF chairman said, “The management of cases is gradually improving with the availability of medical oxygen. Government is also fast-tracking the rehabilitation of existing plants and construction of new ones as approved by the President.
“The PTF has advanced in the deployment of resources for the national testing week and continues to review the bottlenecks affecting the turnaround time for testing.
“The PTF is improving on the International Travel Portal to minimise the challenges passengers keep encountering,” he said.
He also said the country is expected to take the delivery of 100,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in early February with assurances that the vaccines will be safe and effective when eventually deployed.
What you should know
- The Federal Government had in September 2020, announced the easing of lockdown guidelines for phase 3 due to a drop in the number of Covid-19 infections across the country.
- However, following, a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases across the country with a record number of daily infections recorded, the Federal Government in collaboration with the State Governments has moved to ensure the strict enforcement of the Covid-19 protocols and guidelines to curb its spread.
