FG rules out lockdown option as COVID-19 cases rises
By Rasaq Adebayo
Federal Government, on Thursday, said the country would not observe another lockdown despite the widespread of Delta-variant COVID-19 infection cases across the country.
Speaking to journalists during a ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team in the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, assured that the new variant of the virus does not pose a sufficient threat to justify a lockdown of any form.
Ehanire stated that countries have been a bit circumspect in the decision to impose total lockdowns as was seen at the beginning of the outbreak last year.
He added that the government would rather employ precision lockdowns on specific areas of the country that have come under threat.
He also revealed that apart from the vaccines sourced free of charge, Nigeria has so far paid for about 30 million doses of Johnson&Johnson doses.
According to him, since the prices of the one-shot vaccine have dropped, Nigeria plans to facilitate the purchase of about 40 million doses of the vaccines in all.
“Also the 176,000 doses of the Johnson&Johnson doses have also been received while the rest would arrive in batches,” he said.
He assured that the majority of vaccines used in the country, will be bought by the government rather than depending on those freely donated by other countries.
