The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha has called on Nigerians to be more careful in their dealings with people ,adding that the speed at which the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is spreading had made it imperative for Nigerians to deal with each other with suspicion.
Mustapha who is the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 said this during the formal hand over of 126 units of Patient Monitors and 63 units of Oxygen Concentrators to 21 Healthcare Institutions across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He urged Nigerians to begin to deal with each other is if the person they are dealing with are potential carriers of the virus.
The SGF lamented that the lack of compliance with non pharmaceutical measures had compelled government to issue the Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Regulation of 2021 which was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26.
Mustapha said since the outbreak of the pandemic in Nigeria, the Federal Government had taken stringent measures to combat the spread of the virus.
He listed some of the measures so far taken to check the spread of the virus to include the ban on flights, the imposition of curfew, nationwide lockdown, and compulsory wearing of face masks among others.
Mustapha told the participants at the virtual launch that the Federal Government will not rest until it ensures that the battle against the pandemic is won.
He said every citizen or guest in Nigeria must commit to creating a Covid-free environment.
He said, “We cannot stop the spread of the virus if we fail to take responsibilities for our behaviour and continue to be agents of this virus
“To those still in doubt. I say, Covid-19 is real, please wash your hands regularly, wear a mask, avoid social gatherings, and if its not necessary don’t travel, maintain the required social distance from people.
“I urge each and every one of us to treat everybody that you come across as a potential carrier of Covid. Get help if you feel you may have been exposed to the virus. It is best never to visit an ICU as a patient.
As of Wednesday, the country recorded 1,861 new cases in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory taking the total confirmed cases to 126,160.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had disclosed that 22 persons died of the virus on Wednesday bringing the number of deaths to 1,544.