Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has said increased testing and not relaxation of eased lockdown was responsible for the recent spikes in the COVID-19 cases recorded in the country, adding that is not unusual.
The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated this at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
This is even as it corrected the impression that that the Federal Government was abdicating it’s responsibilities to the citizens on COVID-19 management, to states when it asked the sub-national government to take ownership of managing the virus.
“As we have eased the restriction that we have instituted across the country, we have expected the numbers to increase. We have announced it several times to expect an increase in numbers. So, this increase in numbers is not unusual.
“As we increase testing and relax the lockdown, this is a virus that goes from one individual to the other, therefore, it is most likely that we will see an increase in numbers. Whether that increase continues or not depends on our collective action.
“Sometimes, these numbers are necessary to remind us of the reality. While the number of deaths as a proportion might appear small, these are all people that many of us have gotten to know, and every day, you get to hear about one other friend or relative that, unfortunately, have passed away,” Ihekweazu said.
He added that the health management is on concurrent list in the country and that the federal government will continue to play it’s roles in the management of COVID-19 in the country, while the states are also to do their parts especially that the nation is at the community transmission phase of the virus.