COVID-19: PTF cautions Nigerians on fake fresh lockdown alert

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

Following a fresh lockdown alert being circulated in the social media, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has urged Nigerians to disregard such as fake.

In the release said to have emanated from Dr Aliyu who was addressed as the “Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19″.

Dr Sani Aliyu, PTF National Coordinator however in a short video released on Thursday, disassociated himself and the agency from such release he so described as fake.

Aliyu said the government was aware of the economic implication of a fresh lockdown and therefore, urged Nigerians to adhere to all guidelines to curb the spread of the disease.

He said, “We are aware of a fake message on WhatsApp that we’ve declared a lockdown in the country. This is absolutely not true. I call on the Nigerian public to please ignore this message and continue with normal activities.

“I’m also calling on the public to abide by the non-pharmaceutical interventions including wearing of face masks in the public, washing of hands and maintaining physical distancing.
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“There is an established way that we send our messages to the public including declarations when it comes to infection control. So, please ignore what is being going round on WhatsApp,” Aliyu maintained.

Nigerians are of the believe that the country may not survive another round of lockdown as its a general opinion that Nigerians should adhere strictly to laid down procedures of controlling the pandemic.