The Presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 has expressed dismay at the huge crowd that attended political rallies in Edo state as well as the burial of late politician, Senator Buruji Kashamu on Sunday.
The PTF blamed the large gatherings on the activities of State Governors and asked people who attended the burial of Kashamu to go into self isolation.
The task force also blamed religious leaders and traditional rulers for leading and allowing people break COVID-19 protocols in various States across the country.
SeeA COVID-19: FG Urges Citizens To Adhere To Safety Protocols As Deaths Approach 1,000
Buruji Kashamu died of COVID-19 complications in Lagos on Saturday and was buried in Ijebu-Igbo on Sunday amid hundreds of mourners who broke health protocols to bury the late politician.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went ahead to host thousands of people at political rallies ahead of the Governorship polls in September.
Respondingto questions during the daily COVID-19 briefing on Monday, the national coordinator of the task force, Sani Aliyu said the low level of compliance at the events was appalling.He said;
“I must say that we are dismayed with the level of compliance, when it comes to some of these activities.
“The issue is; we know that COVID-19 does not act like a proper pandemic. If you have a proper pandemic like Ebola, as I have always said, you will have dead bodies on the streets, people bleeding to death; that sharp factor is there and we do not need to do anything further to convince people to protect themselves and to do the right thing.
“We are faced with a pandemic that is an invisible enemy; we are faced with a pandemic where the majority of us would probably not have come across somebody with COVID-19.”
He accused leaders in Edo and Ogun State of not enforcing Covid-19 health restrictions at the events and called on them to do more.
“When it comes to wearing of (face) mask for instance; when you wear a mask, it is actually an act of kindness and caring. What you are saying is that you care about the people that you will meet; you don’t want to infect them with COVID-19.”
“The same thing applies when it comes to social distancing. It is much easier to be proactive. It is much easier for civil authorities, leaders and governors to make sure that those situations that pose a risk of mass gathering are avoided.”
Aliyu expressed the fact that Nigeria has been lucky regarding its low death rate although this is climbing steadily.
“Nevertheless, a lot of people have died – close to a thousand Nigerians have died – that would have still been with us today if not for COVID-19.”
We certainly have to continue to engage Nigerians, enlighten them and encourage them to take those simple steps that are necessary to protect ourselves and our loved ones.