Coronavirus: Lockdown goals not to end COVID-19 outbreak - NCDC DG explains
- The DG of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, has clarified that the goal of the COVID-19 lockdown is not to end the pandemic
- According to Ihekweazu, ending the pandemic will be very difficult as no country in the world has achieved that
- The NCDC boss explained that the goals of the lock of the lockdown are to stop the transmission to some extent and give room for the health authority to build up its efficiency
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the lockdown imposed by the federal government in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is not to end the coronavirus outbreak.
The director-general of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, explained on Thursday, April 16, that the first goal of the lockdown is to stop the transmission to some extent.
Ihekweazu added that the second goal was to give room for the health authority to build up its efficiency to effectively tackle the pandemic, Channels TV reports.
Source: Facebook
He said: “The goal of the lockdown is not to get to the end of this outbreak because that is not a realistic goal; the goal of the lockdown was to keep people a little bit apart to stop transmission to some extent.
“The second goal was to enable the public health response to build up its efficiency and that is really what we have focused on in the last two weeks and what we will work very hard on in the next 10 days to make sure that we finalise.”
The NCDC DG urged Nigerians to be patient with the government, especially the residents of the states under the lockdown
He said there are indicators already that there have been fewer contacts among individuals by 60-70 percent.
Ihekweazu reiterated that the goal of the health agency in the short term is not to stop transmission because that will be very difficult to do as no country in the world has achieved that.
He stressed that tackling COVID-19 was easier said than done in a complex country like Nigeria which has population density and unique challenges.
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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, expressed the intention of his administration to review the lockdown of the state.
The governor made his plans known at the second virtual meeting with business owners in the state on Wednesday, April 15.
He assured them that “strategic relaxation of the lockdown may be implemented.”
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Coronavirus: Unrest, riots greet extension of lockdown order | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng