Only pre-emptive uniform lockdown of the North can prevent a COVID-19 catastrophe in the region, immediate-past Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani, has warned.
According to him, poverty, widespread unemployment, and ignorance make the North more vulnerable to the global pandemic.
Sani said that the uniform lockdown of the region would enable the state governors to curb the spread of the virus.
This is just as he berated the Federal Government for not being decisive enough to lock down the nation the moment Nigeria recorded its index case on February 27.
Responding to a question, the ex-ACF scribe told Sunday Sun, “Yes, Northern states are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 from coronavirus as a result of poverty, unemployment and ignorance.
“My advice to the northern state governors, therefore, is for them to make the choice of containment and mitigation to be in an appropriate balance between the need to save lives through uniform lockdown at the same time for the same duration, say,14 days in order to curb the spread of the virus and the need to preserve livelihoods such as businesses, occupations, employment, etc.
“And given the fact that unless every state is saved no one is saved of the COVID-19, considering the virus started in one corner of the world called Wuhan in Hubei Province of China and became pandemic, it may be necessary for the Northern states governors to introduce uniform lockdown and restrictions at the same time for the same duration of about 14 days.
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“This will make it possible for the COVID-19 to manifest itself in all infected people in Northern states and enable a more informed strategy of containment and mitigation.
“That will avoid a situation where individual efforts by the governors that are not uniform will be wasted efforts amid interstate travels that can bring about resurgence in states which have curbed or prevented the spread of the virus.
“I believe the sacrifices, which come with discomfort and inconveniences for 14 days are much easier and cheaper than the agony of burying our compatriots till God knows when, if we do not act appropriately now.
“You would recall it was refusal of President Trump to act in good time that has turned out to be very costly for America.
“Also if the FG had used the index case of 27/2/2020 and closed the borders, banned flights and introduced national lockdown at the same time for the same duration, it would have changed the course of the coming and spread of the virus into Nigeria.
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“No sacrifices are too much if they would help curb the spread of the virus, since the thought of the effects on our health services, on humanitarian status and on the economy are too dire to contemplate should there be transmission through community contacts.”
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