BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
THE Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 has indicated the possibility of a second lockdown in specific areas across the country, based on the level of cases in these areas, as the rate of infection continues to increase.
The PTF said the rate at which the infection was spreading was alarming, especially in Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which had recorded the highest cases of the infection in the country, during the second wave.
National Incident Manager, PTF, Mukhtar Muhammed, disclosed this on Friday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
Hinting that these hotspots might face a fresh lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, Muhammed said, “We have been analysing the data and we have been looking at the geographical areas that have been most affected and the different age groups.
“Certainly, even if we are going to have a lockdown, it is not going to be a total lockdown. A couple of weeks back, we analysed the data and we identified the hotspot local government areas.
“Mostly, the areas affected are the urban local governments in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Plateau. Even in most other states, it is the urban areas that are involved. So, if we are going to have any restriction, it will be in these areas.”
He said the urban areas were the most affected, noting that the PTF had advised the states, based on available data, to focus on these areas where he said transmissions were more than the others.
Lagos, Abuja and Plateau have recorded 46,935, 16,470 and 7,801 cases respectively in the last 11 months, according to data obtained from NCDC.
