The Federal Government says it will place under ‘precision lockdown’ 18 council areas which it has identified as the hotspots of the coronavirus pandemic.
This was made known by the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG) Mr. Boss Mustapha, who is also Chairman of the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, June 29, 2020.
Though he did not mention the affected local councils, Mustapha said they are responsible for 60 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country. Nonetheless, data made available earlier in the month by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicated that 11 out of the 20 local government areas that account for 60 per cent of the cases are in Lagos State.
As super spreaders, the councils must be locked down to contain the spread of the pandemic in the country, he said, adding that the precision lockdown would be implemented by the government of the states where the 18 local governments are located.
According to the SGF Nigeria has not reached its peak and with 39 molecular labs, the number of infections will continue to rise.
He asked all local authorities, including religious and traditional leaders, to ensure compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions.
