Nigeria faces the third wave of COVID-19 as the Federal Government has placed Lagos State and six others on red alert.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Government through the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), explained that the resolve to place the States on red alert was part of the preventive measures against a third wave of the pandemic amid the rising number of infections and confirmation of the Delta Variant of COVID-19 in the country.
The States are; Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and the FCT, according to a statement signed on Saturday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who doubles as the chairman PSC on COVID-19.
The PSC, however, warned that all States of the Federation should heighten their state of
preparedness and continue to enforce all protocols put in place, given the renowned greater ease of spread of the Delta variant.
“These steps are critical as we begin to see worrisome early signs of increasing cases in Nigeria,” it stressed.
“The PSC shall continue to minimize the risk of importation of Variants of Concern into the
country by strengthening Surveillance at all Points of Entry (POE), enforcing extant quarantine protocols and sustaining the current restrictive measures against travellers arriving from India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa,” it added.
Gatekeepers News reports that the PSC further felicitated the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration and urged all State Governments and Religious Leaders to be mindful of the potential for the wider spread of the virus during large gatherings.
The PSC, therefore, recommended the following preventive measures for a safe Eid-el-Kabir celebration; Decentralization of Eid Prayer to neighbourhood Friday Prayer Mosques (outdoor); Suspension of Durbar activities; and Observation of limitations on all Indoor gatherings.
