The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said President Mohammadu Buhari will determine when to lift the lockdown order caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
He revealed this on Sunday Politics on Channels Television in Abuja.
reports that on April 13, Buhari announced a 14-day extension of lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states to combat the pandemic. The 14-day lockdown had initially began on March 30th before it was extended.
The Minister said, “The President in his wisdom will decide if the lockdown will be lifted, We do think that the restriction of movement limits significantly the spread of the virus.The models we have seen show that we have not gotten to the peak yet.”
He said that the government had been studying the case in Kano State with their authorities, adding that the ministry would be sending high ranking fact finding missions to there.
He also said the fact finding mission will also look if there will be room for improvement in the state’s response activities on COVID-19, like surveillance, testing, case finding, contact tracing and isolation.
“Kano does not have experience with COVID-19 and the rate it has exploded should be of concern to all. ”It is possible to be able to contain it, if the right processes are followed and the right resources are brought in.
“The testing center should be back on stream tomorrow because a team has gone there now from NCDC and have arrived there today. They should be able to resumed screening tomorrow (Monday).
“In addition, we are going to have a second laboratory, we shall have a PCR laboratory, so we should be able to take care of the backlogs and be ready to take care of any other samples that will be brought in, from the seven or eight local government areas that are affected,” he Concluded.
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