Coronavirus: Reprieve as Buhari announces phased relaxation of lockdown

…Review not applicable to Kano

…Businesses to open from 9am to 6pm, curfew from 8pm to 6am

…Says FG will not tolerate right abuses by security agents

Reprieve came the way of Nigerians as President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday announced Federal Government decision to reduce tight knot on restriction orders in Lagos, Ogun, the Federal Capital Territory and other states amidst growing tension over the Coronavirus pandemic.

As against total lockdown experienced in the past four weeks, the President has ordered a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun states effective from Saturday, 2nd May, 2020 at 9am.

This, he said, was in response to glaring effects of the pandemic on economic activities of Nigerians and the nation at large and after going through recommendations of stakeholders like the Governors Forum, organised labour, health sector workers and the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19.

However, Buhari said people of Kano State will not enjoy the reprieve due to the high density of causality of unconfirmed deadly disease killing large number of people in the past few days.

In his address on Monday on the cumulative lockdown order of Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory in COVID -19 pandemic, the President announced further measures to be put in place to manage the situation.

The text of his speech read in part: “Fellow Nigerians, for the past four weeks, most parts of our country have been under either Federal Government or State Government lockdowns. As I mentioned earlier, these steps were necessary and overall, have contributed to slowing down the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

“However, such lock downs have also come at a very heavy economic cost. Many of our citizens have lost their means of livelihoods. Many businesses have also shut down. No country can afford the full impact of a sustained lockdown while awaiting the development of vaccines or cures.

“In my last address, I mentioned that the Federal Government will develop strategies and policies that will protect lives while preserving livelihoods.

“In these two weeks, the Federal and State Governments have jointly and collaboratively worked hard on how to balance the need to protect health while also preserving livelihoods, leveraging global best practice while keeping in mind our peculiar circumstances.

“We looked at how our factories, markets, traders and transporters can continue to function while at the same time adhering to the NCDC guidelines on hygiene and social distancing.

“We assessed how our children can continue to learn without compromising their health.

“We reviewed how our farmers can safely plant and harvest in this rainy season to ensure our food security is not compromised. Furthermore, we also discussed how to safely transport food items from rural production areas to industrial processing zones and ultimately, to the key consumption centres.

“Our goal was to develop implementable policies that will ensure our economy continues to function while still maintaining our aggressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These same difficult decisions are being faced by leaders around the world.

“Based on the above and in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved for a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun states effective from Saturday, 2nd May, 2020 at 9am.

“However, this will be followed strictly with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors”.

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The new nationwide measures announced by the president include selected businesses and offices can open from 9am to 6pm; there will be an overnight curfew from 8pm to 6am, meaning that all movements will be prohibited during this period except essential services.

Other measures include a ban on non-essential inter-state passenger travels until further notice; partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services will be allowed to allow for the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers; and strictly ensure the mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public in addition to maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene.

Furthermore, he said the restrictions of on social and religious gatherings shall remain in place while state Governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists are encouraged to support the production of cloth masks for citizens.

He said the lockdown in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states shall remain in place until these new ones come into effect on Saturday, 2nd May 2020 at 9am.

Buhari said the above are guidelines state Governors may choose to amend, adapt and expand based on their unique circumstances provided they maintain alignment with the guidelines issued above on public health and hygiene.

However, he said “these revised guidelines will not apply for to Kano State. The total lockdown recently announced by the State Government shall remain enforced for the full duration. The Federal Government shall deploy all the necessary human, material and technical resources to support the state in controlling and containing the pandemic”.

President Buhari commended all Nigerians for the resilience and patriotism shown in their collective fight against the biggest health challenge of the generation.

He also commended the border closure policy of his administration which he said has help in reducing proportion of infection of the virus.

He said “the proportion of cases imported from other countries has reduced to only 19% of new cases, showing that our border closures yielded positive results. These are mostly fellow Nigerians returning through our land borders. We will continue to enforce land border arrival protocols as part of the containment strategy”.

On the level of preparedness to further contain the disease, he said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has accredited 15 laboratories across the country with an aggregate capacity to undertake 2,500 tests per day across the country.

“Based on your feedback, Lagos State Government and the FCT with support from NCDC have established several sample collection centres in Lagos and the FCT. They are also reviewing their laboratory testing strategy to further increase the number of tests they can perform including the accreditation of selected private laboratories that meet the accreditation criteria.

“Several new fully equipped treatment and isolation centres have been operationalised across the country thereby increasing bed capacity to about three thousand. At this point, I will commend the State Governors for the activation of State-level Emergency Operation Centres, establishment of new treatment centres and the delivery of aggressive risk communication strategies.

“Over ten thousand healthcare workers have been trained. For their protection, additional personal protective equipment have been distributed to all the states. Although we have experienced logistical challenges, we remain committed to establish a solid supply chain process to ensure these heroic professionals are can work safely and are properly equipped.

“In keeping with our Government’s promise to improve the welfare of healthcare workers, we have signed a memorandum of understanding on the provision of hazard allowances and other incentives with key health sector professional associations. We have also procured insurance cover for five thousand frontline health workers. At this point, I must commend the insurance sector for their support in achieving this within a short period of time”, said the president.

The President assured Nigerians that government will not tolerste human rughts abuses by security agents while enforcing restriction orders.

He said: “Our Security Agencies continue to rise to the challenge posed by this unusual situation. While we feel deeply concerned about isolated security incidents involving hoodlums and miscreants, I want to assure all Nigerians that your safety and security remains our primary concern especially in these exceedingly difficult and uncertain times.

“As we focus on protecting lives and properties, we will not tolerate any human rights abuses by our security agencies. The few reported incidences are regrettable, and I want to assure you that the culprits will be brought to justice.

“I urge all Nigerians to continue to cooperate and show understanding whenever they encounter security agents. Furthermore, for their protection, I have instructed the personnel of the security agencies be provided with the necessary personal protective equipment for their own protection”.