The Federal Government on Friday said a fresh national lockdown in the country may be in the works as the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths continue to escalate nationwide.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19, Sani Aliyu, during a media briefing in Abuja said the second wave of the pandemic has been generating concerns for the government, following the sharp rise in the number of cases from the global contagion.
“If these numbers continue to go up and we start having significant deaths, we will have no option. If we do not want to lock down, now is the time to make sure that we follow the non-pharmaceutical interventions.” Aliyu said.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Wednesday alone Nigeria recorded an unprecedented 1,664 new cases of the coronavirus in the country. The figure set new record as the highest number of cases ever recorded in one day since the virus was first reported in the country on February 27, 2020.
On Thursday, the cases slightly dropped to 1565, however Lagos recorded its highest figure till date, racking up 807 new cases in one day as the number of nationwide deaths from the virus hits 1330, Thursday.
At 94,934 confirmed cases, Nigeria’s tally is just few numbers away from another grim milestone.
Worried by the trajectory, PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on Friday said, “The Presidential Task Force is very concerned about the increasing daily numbers that we are recording.
“On the 6th of January 2021, we recorded 1,664 infections. This is yet another all-time high in Nigerian and we must all take full responsibility through compliance and vigilance.”
