Olawale Ajimotokan
The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 has set up a delegation to four states and the FCT to work with the state governments and develop an enabling framework for the enforcement of COVID-19 restriction.
The National Coordinator PSC, Dr Muktah Mohammed disclosed this yesterday at a media briefing in Abuja.
The affected states are Lagos, Kano, Oyo and Akwa Ibom. He said the teams will work with the governments of those states and the FCT Administration for two weeks to develop the framework for implementation.
Mohammed said the need to enforce the COVID – 19 restrictions was premised on the low level of vaccination and low compliance with non-pharmaceutical measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.
He urged that before the country can attain the level of protection from the transmission against the disease, necessary measures, including enforcement must be put in place.
“For the benefit of the doubt, the public protocol remains in operation- curfew from 12midnight to 5 a.m. is still operational, particularly in high priority states and will need to be enforced. People must use face masks in public places and places of worship. certain categories of public places are closed but are now open in some states and need to be closed and this is what our team is going to work on with the state governments to ensure we maintain a level of the epidemic at its lowest. Our effort in terms of restriction has shown that our efforts in terms of compliance to the restriction is very low,” Mohammed said.
He, however, stressed that compliance at the point of entry is very high at the airports, seaports and land borders where in anticipation of the third wave, surveillance system had been stepped up.
He also said the PSC had published the list of over 2,000 travel defaulters, who evaded protocol and quarantine and have suspended their passports.
He also stated that since the restriction commenced in some of the quarantine facilities, data in May have resulted in progressive decline.
In Lagos, the number has reduced from 27 percent to 16 per cent in August, while FCT has seen consistent compliance –with 30 per cent evading quarantine in May while it was nine percent in June and four per cent in August.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Chairman PSC, Mr Boss Mustapha said that over 3.5million doses of Pfizer are expected from the US Government this month while about 4million doses of Astrazeneca are expected early next month.
He said the country will also be receiving over one million doses of J&J shipments on a monthly basis, while assuring the PSC is committed to access enough vaccines for the 70 percent eligible persons in the country in record time.
He expressed dismay at the fraudulent activities perpetuated at the international airports by on-duty staff, who extort money out of those who equally wish to evade quarantine requirement.
Mustapha said the authorities were conducting necessary investigation in to various reports received.
