Easing lockdown no mistake- NCDC
Chikwe Ihekweazu, the
Director General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control NCDC, has said that
easing the lockdown in Ogun, Abuja and Lagos state despite the increase in the
number of COVID-19 cases, wasn't a mistake.
Ihekweazu said this
when he appeared on TVC on Tuesday morning. The DG was asked if he thinks the
easing of the lockdown was a mistake going by what happened yesterday where
many people thronged banks and other public places, flouting all the
precautionary guidelines against COVID19.
In his response, he
said
''On our side, we
don't think there was a mistake. We knew at some point this day had to come but
we really expected Nigerians and cooperate Nigeria to take a little bit more
responsibility for what happened yesterday.
There is only little
government can do. We can issue lockdown, we can bring out the police but we
rely on the common sense of most Nigerians, we rely on cooperate Nigeria taking
responsibility.
This is not being
done for NCDC nor for the Federal government or the state government. It is
being done do us.
So we really are
counting. Lets take yesterday as an exception. Lets see what happens today. Let
us see how many cooperates will come out of their offices and organize the queues
in front of their offices. Let's see how many cooperates will organize their
office spaces and actually put out their hand washings and educate their staff
on the changes that they need to do for themselves. This is not being done for
us. This is being done for you. So all of us have to take responsibility''. he
said
Ihekweazu hinted
that some state governors have been unsupportive of the fight against the
pandemic.
When asked why a
lockdown hasn't been enforced in some states such as Sokoto state where
confirmed cases and deaths of COVID19 have been in the increase, Ihekweazu said
everyone should remember that Nigeria is a Federal republic and that the
Federal government and NCDCy dont have any enforcement powers. He applauded some state governors for being
proactive and cooperative as the fight against the virus continues and implored
others to do same.
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