Another Lockdown Extension Could Be Counterproductive, Festus Keyamo Warns
POLITICS DIGEST – The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has warned that the introduction of another total lockdown in parts of the country would be counterproductive.
It was reported that confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria spilled over 4,000 on Saturday night, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
A cumulative half of these infections were recorded in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The three places entered a new phase on Monday, May 4, after a five-week total lockdown ordered by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as part of measures to curb the community transmission of the virus.
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The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 subsequently issued guidelines on the phased easing of the lockdown in the three places but compliance on the part of Nigerians has been poor in the last one week.
Just on Saturday, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said his government was not satisfied with Lagosians’ level of compliance with the rules guiding the eased lockdown in the nation’s economic capital.
“If we do not see an improvement in the next couple of days, we would be forced to evoke the very painful decision of bringing the entire system under a lockdown again,” he submitted.
However, commenting on Sunday via Twitter, Keyamo said another total lockdown is unnecessary as Nigerians must learn to live with the virus and practice the guidelines including observing social distancing, avoiding crowded places, use of face masks in public, regular hygiene, amongst other.
“My personal view is that another total lockdown would be counterproductive. Before defeating the virus, we must learn to live with it all around us and practice the skills of avoiding it like a landmine. Practice makes perfect. We cannot perfect those skills by locking ourselves up,” he tweeted.
