Hours after the France Government imposed a second lockdown over COVID-19 spike, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria could also experience a total restriction on movement if citizens disregard the protocols and allow the virus to spread beyond limit.
Buhari added that non-adherence to preventive measures outlined by health experts in the country could result into coronavirus spike and that the government would have no option than to impose another lockdown.
The president said that adherence to the protocols was the only solution that can prevent the country from recording increasing in cases that could result to imposition of another round of lockdown in Nigeria.
He gave the caution on Thursday through a statement made available to newsmen after the France President, Emmanuel Macron, imposed another lockdown on the country after record of COVID-19 cases increased geometrically.
The President, who argued that the country cannot afford to undergo another round of lockdown considering the state of Nigerian economy, described the economy as fragile.
Buhari said: “Looking at the trends in the other countries, we must do all we can to avert a second wave of Covid-19 in Nigeria. We must make sure that our cases, which have gone down, do not rise again. Our economy is too fragile to bear another round of lockdown”.
Earlier, Macron announced a second national lockdown until at least the end of November and said that under the new measures, starting on Friday, people would only be allowed to leave home for essential work or medical reasons.
He added that non-essential businesses, such as restaurants and bars, will close, but schools and factories will remain open.
Covid daily deaths in France are at the highest level since April. On Tuesday, 33,000 new cases were confirmed.
Macron said the country risked being “overwhelmed by a second wave that no doubt will be harder than the first”.
