By Williams Anuku, Abuja
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19, Boss Mustapha has threatened to mete out sanctions on Nigerians from Diaspora who came into the country but failed to present themselves for mandatory PCR testing.
Mustapha said 65 per cent of Nigerians who returned to the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have failed to undergo the mandatory testing, even after paying the necessary fees.
He gave the threat on Tuesday, at the weekly briefing session in Abuja, insisting that complacency has set in because the virus was having less toll in Nigeria.
“The PTF is highlighting these issues repeatedly because we remain at risk of importation, having opened our airspace and massive spread as a result of the protests. The next week or two remain critical.
“The PTF has noted with sadness the failure of Nigerians who arrived from abroad to present themselves for the in-country PCR test which they signed up to and paid before arrival. Statistics emerging from our records show that only one out of three passengers have shown up for the in-country test.
“As you may recall, the PTF announced the guidelines on the reopening of the airspace and the obligations of arriving passengers. The PTF similarly announced sanctions as a consequence of any infraction. Having observed serious non-compliance to the level of 65%, the need has arisen to activate the sanctions which include the suspension of the passports of such defaulting individuals for a period of six months minimum, “he stated.
He warned that global cases crossed the 46 million mark with USA, India and Brazil accounting for 50% of all global cumulative burden.
According to him, a number of countries in Europe have been forced to order their second lockdown due to spike in cases.
“The reasons for concern include the fact that as at Monday, 2/11/2020, global statistics showed the following:
Global cumulative cases: – 47,387,837;
Global number of deaths: – 1,212,479;
“The UK and France have continued to struggle with record increases in numbers and have reintroduced total lockdown to control the spread.
The United States continue to witness record daily increase in the number of confirmed cases especially given the fact that it is in the middle of a Presidential contest.
“The African Continent has, as at the same date, recorded a cumulative total case count of 1,813,800 (including 43,461 deaths); and the head of the WHO is reported to have gone into isolation out of an abundance of caution and the need to underscore the importance of contact tracing.
“The PTF at the last briefing cautioned on the need to avoid complacency on account of the low number of infections published daily and the possibility of a second wave. That advice was premised on the fact that risk perception remains very low and sample collection has been on the decline.
While acknowledging the invaluable roles played by traditional rulers in containing the spread of the virus, he made allusions to the #EndSARS Protesters, whom he noted never adhered to the covid-19 protocols.
He said, “In the midst of all these, the nation has experienced several large gathering events during which the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions were not really observed. The situation in Europe and the reports from the USA showing the consequences of non-adherence are quite vivid.
“As part of the strategy of the PTF to deepen community engagement, I addressed an emergency session of the National Executive Committee of the National Council of Traditional Rulers this morning.
“The contributions of our traditional rulers to the successes so far recorded in the National Response can not be overemphasized. Accordingly, I acknowledged and thanked all our traditional rulers for their support and urged them to continue to do more especially in the areas of risk communication and community engagement. Adherence to the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions measures and the need for people to come out for testing was emphasized”.
