The Nigeria government has finally allowed for immediate relaxation of the lockdown restriction imposed on places of worship as part of measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, reported Reuters.
Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made the announcement at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Monday. The relaxation, which will continue for a period of four weeks, will be effective from Tuesday, June 2, to Monday, June 29. He said the decision to continue the eased restrictions will be reviewed after the completion of four weeks.
The head of the national task force, however, warned that Africa’s most populous nation has not reached the peak of infections. As of Monday, June 1, Nigeria has recorded 10,162 cases of COVID-19. Of the total, 3,007 have been successfully treated and discharged and 287 deaths have been recorded.
“Nigeria has not reached the peak of confirmed cases,” Mustapha told reporters.
He said guidelines would be issued for how religious services could be allowed to re-start.
The task force also said it was lifting a total lockdown on northern Nigeria’s crucial economic hub Kano, where authorities had reported a spike in deaths.
The authorities said they are aiming to resume domestic flights from June 21. The nationwide curfew has also been cut back and it will now begin from 10 pm to 4 am each night.
Some of the other tough restrictions that will continue to remain in place include a limit on public gatherings to no more than 20 people, bars and restaurants staying closed and a ban on travel between different regions. Use of facemasks has been mandatory in public.
Sani Aliyu, the national coordinator of the task force, confirmed that Nigeria’s financial sector will also be able to resume normal working hours.
