PTF Make Usual Press Briefing, As Presidential Broadcast Cancelled

Femi Adesina says there is no presidential broadcast on COVID-19 updates.

“None was planned. Rather,the Presidential Task Force will make its usual media briefings bring the nation up to speed on the next steps”.

The Federal Government on Monday announced that it would maintain the current guidelines on “ease of lockdown” for another two weeks with effect from midnight.

This however formed part of what President Muhammadu Buhari would have told Nigerians in his cancelled nationwide broadcast.

The measures include, amongst others, curfew from 8pm to 6am in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and re-opening of government offices with officers from grade level 14 and above reporting for work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“President has approved that the measures, exemptions, advisories and scope of entities allowed to reopen under phase one of the eased lockdown shall be maintained across the federation for another two weeks effective from 12:00 midnight today (18th May, 2020 to 1st June, 2020),” Boss Mustapha, chairman of the Presidential Task on COVID-19, said during the daily briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday.

Mustapha said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the extension based on the recommendations of the PTF.

He, however, said the PTF would continue to intensify efforts to “tell (communicate), trace (identify) and treat (manage)” cases, as well as elevating the level of community ownership of non-pharmaceutical interventions.

The PTF said the existing lockdown order in Kano would also be maintained for additional two weeks.

The Government had on April 27 announced the gradual ease of the lockdown beginning from May 4 to mitigate economic hardship experienced by Nigerians, among other measures.