Following the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has said that everyone above six years of age should always wear a face mask.
This is coming as the World Health Organization, WHO, has warned of a “further resurgence” of COVID-19 cases in early 2021. In a series of tweets on its official Twitter handle, the Centre urged school authorities, parents, teachers, workers and students to take responsibility to reduce risk of COVID-19 spread.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu who also lamented the surge in COVID-19 cases said the country will rise to the challenge. “We will rise to the challenge” He said already @FCT_Minister has convened stakeholders meeting in Abuja, to reinvigorate the #COVID19 response following the increase in cases.
He advised Nigerians to get timely information on #COVID19 and stop the spread of misinformation. “We must all #TakeResponsibility to limit the spread of #COVID19 during the Christmas & New Year festivities. The pre-boarding #COVID19 PCR test MUST be within 120 hours before leaving the country of travel origin.
Help us to achieve 100 per cent compliance.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, WHO has warned of that there would be “further resurgence” of COVID-19 in early 2021 even as it urged families to wear face masks during this year’s Christmas gatherings.
In a statement, WHO said while some “fragile progress” had been made, “COVID-19 transmission across the European region remains widespread and intense.”
“There is a high risk of further resurgence in the first weeks and months of 2021, and we will need to work together if we are to succeed in preventing it,” WHO Europe said.
It urged the public “not (to) underestimate the importance of your decisions” and take extra precautions as many prepare to gather for the holidays. If possible, the WHO said celebrations should be held outdoors and “participants should wear masks and maintain physical distancing.”
For indoor festivities, the WHO said limiting the number of guests and ensuring good ventilation was key to reducing the risk of infection. “It may feel awkward to wear masks and practise physical distancing when around friends and family, but doing so contributes significantly to ensuring that everyone remains safe and healthy,” the health agency said.
The WHO’s European Region comprises 53 countries and includes Russia and several countries in Central Asia, a region that has registered more than 22 million cases of the new coronavirus and close to 500,000 deaths.
VANGUARD
