The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 has put six states and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT on red alert following fresh fears over the dreaded Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
This is sequel to the confirmation of the Delta Variant of COVID-19, the rising number of infections and hospitalization in the country.
Chairman of the PSC and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed the development in a statement made on Saturday night.
He listed the affected states as Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau and the FCT.
Mustapha said that the red alert was part of the preventive measures against a third wave of the pandemic in the country.
He warned all states of the federation to be prepared and continue the enforcement of all protocols put in place, given the ease of spread of the Delta variant.
“These steps are critical as we begin to see worrisome early signs of increasing cases in Nigeria.
“The PSC shall continue to minimise the risk of importation of variants of concern into the country by strengthening Surveillance at all Points of Entry (POE), enforcing extant quarantine protocols and sustaining the current restrictive measures against travelers arriving from India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.
“The PSC felicitates with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. It however, urges all State Governments and Religious Leaders to be mindful of the potential for wider spread of the virus during large gatherings”.
Mustapha said the PSC therefore recommended the decentralisation of Eid prayer to neighbourhood Friday prayer mosques to be conducted outdoor; the suspension of Durbar activities and observation of limitations on all indoor gatherings.
He noted that these were preventive measures for a safe Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
