The Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and prominent economists on Monday assessed the country’s economic situation and concluded that another COVID-19 lockdown would unleash hunger and malnutrition on Nigerians.
The groups stated this in separate interviews with newsmen while reacting to a statement by the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, who on Sunday said the Federal Government was considering all options, including lockdown, to battle the second wave of COVID-19.
Aliyu, who lamented rising COVID-19 cases in the country, said the virus-infected 6,000 people in the last one week, while 33 died of the disease during the same period.
According to him, Nigerians can avoid another lockdown if they adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures, including wearing face masks and hand washing.
Recall that the Federal Government first imposed a lockdown on Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital Territory on April 27, 2020, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. The lockdown, which started with the first phase in April ended with the third phase in July.
However, the PTF on December 17 said the country had entered COVID-19 second wave of the virus with a surge in the infection and deaths resulting from it.
As of December 4, 2020, the country had recorded 68,627 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,179 deaths.
But on Sunday, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control announced that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country was 90,080 with 1,311 deaths.
Although the PTF coordinator on Sunday said the government was considering all options, including lockdown, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, said the government was concerned about increasing COVID-19 cases.
He, however, said the government had not said it would impose a fresh lockdown to battle the second wave of the virus.
