Nigeria heading towards second wave of coronavirus infection, says presidential taskforce

The Presidential Task Force (PTF)  has declared that there were indications that Nigeria had entered the second wave of coronavirus infections lamenting the risk of not just losing the gains from the hard work of the last nine months, but also losing precious lives of citizens..

Penpushing reports that, chairperson of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation  (SGF) Boss Mustapha, made this known while speaking at the national briefing, stressing that the real threat is upon humanity

The chairperson, who was represented by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, said: “the events and statistics of the last two weeks, within and outside Nigeria, have been very mixed.

“On the one hand, the cheering news of the COVID-19 vaccine, while on the other hand, we have witnessed spikes in the number of infections at home and abroad. The real threat is upon humanity and the progress made in the global health sector in the last five decades or more’.

”In Nigeria, the indication is that we have entered a second wave of infections and we stand the risk of not just losing the gains from the hard work of the last nine months but also losing the precious lives of our citizens’.

“The PTF believes that if we do the right things, adhere to the NPIs and step up our testing and detection, loss of lives will be minimised and the rising curve will begin to flatten”, the chairperson said.

“We are in a potentially difficult phase of the COVID-19 resurgence; accessing the hope offered by the arrival of the vaccine is still some time ahead. Vaccines alone cannot cure the virus, rather, but a combination of initiatives, including the NPIs; that more than ever before, we need compliance.”

Penpushing also reports that, the Secretary to the Government of Federation added that  that the Presidential Task Force(PTF) “shall escalate our risk communication and community engagement strategies to higher levels.

“Lives have been lost, but we must slow down the pace of the spread, and at the rate at which the numbers are rising should be examined and our vigilance and compliance with the NPIs should be intensified,” he said.

“Last Tuesday, the PTF held the end of term technical session. It afforded the PTF the opportunity to assess the progress made and the present dangers that confront us. The report of the PTF will be submitted to the President on Tuesday, 22nd December, 2020. Current realities, however, point to the fact that the course of further opening up of the economy may have to be reviewed,” he said.

Penpushing reports that the task force cautioned Nigerians ahead of the Christmas season, and warned “the festive season is here and we remain conscious of the fact that large gathering events will take place. It is our strong advice that all non-essential trips be cancelled outrightly. We also urge citizens to avoid large gathering events”

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