Inter-state travellers spreading COVID-19 – FG

The Presidential task force on COVID-19 has raised the alarm that persons travelling from one state to the other were spreading COVID-19.

The National Coordinator in the fight against COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, at the media briefing on Thursday, stated that people were being smuggled in trucks out of Lagos.

He said,

“We have noticed that community spread is now being traced to people travelling across state borders. We need to try and restrict our movements in order to stop the spread of coronavirus infection.

“This is particularly pertinent with regard to the news of people being smuggled in trucks out of Lagos, which is quite concerning to us.”

Also at the briefing, the Director-General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said a major hurdle to achieving the set goal of the fight against COVID-19 was stigmatisation of infected persons.

He warned that it would be difficult to stop the spread and reopen the economy if those infected with the virus were chased into hiding because of the stigmatisation they were subjected to in society.

Nigeria’s toll from the flu-like virus presently stands at 442, with 13 deaths recorded so far.