Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The federal government through the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 will next week decide on the ban placed on interstate movement to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the daily press briefing by the task force, the National Coordinator of the task force, Dr. Sani Aliyu, al Task Force on COVID-19 disclosed that it had started reviewing the guidelines for lifting of the ban on interstate movement.
He said the guidelines submitted by the Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, was being reviewed, adding that the roads would be opened as soon as it is safe to do so.
“At the moment, we still have restrictions on interstate travel. But we have been linking up with the Federal Ministry of Transportation through the Minister of State for Transportation.
“They have given us guidelines that they have developed: very detailed guidelines, and we have looked at them, summarised them and discussed at PTF last week.
“We have asked the Minister of State for Transportation to please engage with the road transport workers to make sure that the usual garages and parks that we have are ready in terms of guidelines that we have in place such as physical distancing, reducing the number of passengers per vehicle and provision of hand washing facilities etc.
“And I believe they are already working on this and hopefully, we should be able to open as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed that the federal government would next week decide on its lockdown policies, including the ban on interstate movements.
“At the beginning of the month of June, the PTF announced a one-month period for the implementation of the second phase of eased lock down.
“We have continued to monitor developments nationwide in order to take informed decisions at the end of the month. We have exactly eight days to that point of decision.”
