To curb the rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in various parts of the country, the Federal Government imposed new restrictions.
Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced this on Monday at the briefing of the task force in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He explained that the directives were advisories issued to state authorities for implementation in the next five weeks.
Boss Mustapha revealed that PTF will be submitting its end of the year report to President Buhari on Tuesday, 22nd December 2020 at 3.00 pm.
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According to the SGFF, PTF has concluded arrangements with the Nigeria Immigration Service to impose sanctions on these defaulters for breaching the public health protocols, within the ambit of the law.
The PTF Issued the following guidelines for five weeks:
Close all bars, night clubs, pubs and event centres, and recreational venues,
Close all restaurants except those providing services to hotel residents; takeaways, home deliveries and drive-ins shall remain closed,
Restrict all informal and formal festivity events including weddings, conferences, congresses, office parties, concerts, seminars, sporting activities, end of year events shall be restricted to not more than 50 persons,
Limit all gatherings linked to religious events to less than 50% capacity of the facility of use during which physical distancing; mandatory use of face masks shall be strictly enforced,
Where more than 50 persons are attending, any such events, the gathering should be held outdoors only,
Public transportation systems are to carry passengers not more than 50% of their capacity in compliance with social distancing rules,
Enforce compliance with NPI protocols, especially the advisory on wearing of face masks in public spaces,
To reduce overcrowding in public spaces, markets, shopping centres, offices and schools, states are advised to implement the following:
Encourage virtual meetings in government offices. The leadership of such offices are to ensure that all offices are well-ventilated offices, and encourage staff to work from home where possible,
All government staff on GL.12 and below are to stay at home for the next 5 weeks; Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives are to be held accountable for enforcing NPI rules in their domains with frequent spot checks,
The PTF on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Education expects that schools would have vacated from the 18th December 2020 and remain closed till at least the 18th of January 2021, to enable the measures introduced to take effect,
All persons above the age of 60 years and/or with comorbidities are to be encouraged to stay at home and avoid crowds,
All non-essential travels – both domestic and international during the holiday season are seriously discouraged,
To strengthen risk communication and community engagement activities over the next five weeks, states are encouraged to;
Engage community and religious leaders, arrange town hall meetings (ideally set outdoors) to address concerns,
Intensify public messaging activities, leveraging on existing government and partner assets,
Reach out to youths and younger adults with health promotion activities,
Invest in local face mask purchase and distribution to the general public to encourage use.
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