Federal Goverment To Review Curfew Hours, Meet With Governors

The National Coordinator of the PTF, Sani Aliyu, during the media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Monday said the Federal Government is considering an extension of the curfew hours as part of its response to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, in April 2020 at the peak of the first wave declared an 8 pm to 6 am curfew which was eventually relaxed to 10 pm to 4 am and later 12 am to 4 am, which still exists to date.

Aliyu, however, stated that the Federal Government is in talks with state governments on the review of the curfew.

The PTF coordinator further stated patients with persistent fever “especially if there are respiratory symptoms or shortness of breath; it is possibly going to be COVID.”

He called on vulnerable people who are above 60 or are diabetic to stay at home for their safety.

Aliyu said, “While we are not in (another) lockdown yet, it is in your best interest if you fall within this group to lock down because now is the time to actually keep away from the general public and mass gatherings.

The PTF coordinator while replying newsmen noted that Nigeria was one of the few countries that had a two-test policy, which was introduced in September.

He stated, “Nigeria is one of the few countries that have had a double testing policy. When the problem arose with the UK and later on South Africa, a lot of countries temporarily banned flights from the UK. And what did they do? They implemented the very same policy that we had from more than four months and running.”

Aliyu said the decision for a fresh lockdown did not rest with the PTF but all Nigerians.

He said, “On lockdown, the decision for lockdowns is in whose hands? It is not in the hands of the PTF, it is in the hands  of all of us the general public, because who wants to have a lockdown?”

In a related development, President Muhammadu Buhari-led government on Monday disclosed that it would review the January 18 earlier date scheduled for the resumption of schools across Nigeria.

The Federal Government attributed its decision to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this while answering questions during a press briefing by the Presidential.