Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, warned that a resurgence of Coronavirus cases in Lagos could lead to the reversal of the strategically calculated measures put in place by the government to open up the economy.
The state government had earlier also warned residents that the continuous flagrant disregard for ravaging COVID-19 pandemic protocols and safety guidelines by citizens could lead to the second wave of new infections in Lagos and, therefore, stressed the need for residents to strictly adhere to precautionary measures against COVID-19 infection transmission to prevent a recurrence of the situation that initially led to the lockdown of the economy.
The Commissioner for Health, who is also a COVID-19 survivor, while speaking on the effort being made by the state government to sustain the gains that have been made to control the global pandemic in the state, explained that many countries and cities are experiencing a second and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with a resultant spike in the number of cases and fatalities.
He stated that many of the affected countries around the world have found it necessary to impose a second lockdown and restriction of movements, which have significant socioeconomic and security consequences.
Abayomi, therefore, advised citizens against unnecessary movement and social gatherings, unless it is absolutely necessary stressing that travelling into and outside the country should be discouraged except when absolutely necessary.
Worried that the COVID-19 induced culture of face mask use, social distancing, and hand hygiene was gradually waning among citizens, Abayomi called for the reinforcement of the adoption and adherence of various preventive measures put in place by the state government to tackle the disease.
“The erroneous belief that COVID-19 has been conquered and is no more in Nigeria should be discarded. Based on our data, this assumption is invalid. It creates a false sense of security amongst the citizens causing many to abandon the use of face masks and other safety measures and protocols put in place by the Government”, the commissioner said.
Abayomi, however, assured that the Lagos State Governor and Incident Commander, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is very committed to protecting the lives and livelihood of its residents as the state continues to permit a gradual return to socio-economic activities.
“This is not the time to relax our guards, if you have any reason to believe you fit the case definition for COVID-19 or you have any questions, please call the EKOTELEMED toll free line on 08000356633 to speak with any of our medical personnel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”, Abayomi advised.
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