Avoid gatherings during this festive season – FG warns

Nigerians has been advised by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 not to conduct usual Christmas carol services this year.

Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated this during the weekly briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday.

According to Ihekweazu, Christmas carols, travels and other gatherings during the festive season, could turn out to be “super spreaders” of the coronavirus.

He said, “This is really to re-emphasise the call by the PTF that many of the traditional meetings that we engage in at this time of the year, whether they are Christmas carols or festivals, trips, family gatherings, each of those could end up being a super spreader event.

So, we must take this into consideration as we make our choices.”

The PTF also advised Nigerians in the Diaspora not to embark on trips to their home country, urging them to celebrate Christmas and New Year wherever they are.

PTF national coordinator, Dr. Sani Aliyu disclosed that for every 1,000 passengers coming into the country, about 10 positive cases of COVID-19 are recorded.

“Please, for this period, if your travel is not essential, stay where you are. We are actively discouraging Nigerians abroad from coming home this Christmas because of COVID-19 and the number of infections we have outside the country.

“So, the message is; if you do not want to get stranded, if you do not want to bring COVID-19 to your elderly relatives in Nigeria, please stay where you are. There will be other holidays,” he added.