The Lagos State Government has warned residents against complacency due to the drop in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, saying the virus is still active.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, stressed the need for people to adhere strictly to precautionary measures against the transmission of the infection to prevent a recurrence of the situation that led to the lockdown of the economy.
He explained that many countries and cities had been experiencing a second and third wave of the pandemic with a resultant spike in the number of cases and fatalities.
Abayomi noted that those countries imposed a second lockdown and restriction of movements with significant socioeconomic and security consequences.
He recalled that after the first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was recorded in Lagos on February 27, 2020, the state became the epicenter of the outbreak in the country with a record of 21,107 confirmed cases and 212 deaths from the virus till date.
The commissioner, however, warned that the continuous disregard for safety guidelines by citizens could herald danger and lead to the second wave of new infections in the state.
He advised citizens against unnecessary movement and social gatherings, stressing that traveling into and outside the country should be discouraged except when absolutely necessary.
“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 among the citizens, causing many to abandon the use of face masks and other safety measures and protocols put in place by the government,” Abayomi added.
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