The Lagos State Government says there is increase of positive cases of coronavirus, suggesting a likely possibility of the emergence of a second wave in the state.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a statement on Friday, said that this calls for caution among residents.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State was recording an increase in COVID-19 cases in all local governments but that this was not peculiar to Lagos alone; as the entire country was also seeing an uptick in the numbers of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease.
According to him, of every 100 tests that is now performed, an average of 10 turns out to be positive.
“This is an increase from the five per hundred recorded in September, but lower than our peak in August which was between 20 and 30 per hundred. This suggests the existence of active community transmission, and represents the very likely possibility of the emergence of a second wave in Lagos State. This second wave calls for a full re-awakening of caution and precaution. The complacency that crept in over the last few months as a result of our early interventions when cases started to decline from our peak in August, must now give way to an abundance of vigilance”.
Sanwo-Olu said the government had sadly noticed that there was an unfortunate public perception that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic had been seen and the worst was over.
The COVID-19 Incident Commander said such perception was absolutely wrong and dangerous adding that there were credible reports that the entertainment industry was planning large gatherings, concerts, street parties and carnivals, in the spirit of the Yuletide.
The governor said night clubs had also re-opened in reckless disregard of the existing COVID-19 guidelines, and events centres were operating with huge gatherings without any regard for public health and safety guidelines.
According to him, this same disregard for coronavirus guidelines is also being observed in places of worship across the state, in both their regular gatherings and the special gatherings organised to commemorate this season.
“Dear Lagosians, this overwhelming non-compliance with guidelines meant to keep us all safe is very disheartening. This is especially when we consider that the message at the heart of Christmas is one of sacrifice and sacrificial conduct; embodied by the Holy Bible in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Christmas is a commemoration of this supreme act of sacrifice by God. The least we can do in this season is to emulate that spirit of sacrifice, by abiding with difficult but necessary protective guidelines, for the greater good of all of us. This is certainly not the time to lower our guard against the coronavirus; it is instead time to step up our battle against this stubborn virus that has gripped the world for several months now”.
The COVID-19 Incident Commander, who recently contacted the virus said he was getting better by the day, thanking Lagosians for their prayers and overwhelming kind thoughts.
The governor said the state could not afford another lockdown of the economy amidst an economic recession as there was the need to find a way to delicately balance the imperatives of life and livelihood.
“With this in mind, the only solution available to us is to take responsibility for all our actions, and to understand that we must stay safe not only for ourselves but for the sake of the entire society. The data we have – we strive to ensure that our decisions are as data-driven as possible – does not warrant the introduction of a drastic lockdown. We can achieve a lot simply by modifying our behaviour in other ways: reducing the size of gatherings, complying with containment protocols, and applying common sense. The Lagos State Government is now sounding a clear note of caution to all residents on the importance of maintaining the guidelines that we have put in place to protect us from the ravages of COVID-19. We cannot afford a reversal of the gains we have made against this pandemic” Sanwo-Olu said.
