The Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, who disclosed this at the PTF press briefing in Abuja, said the reopening of churches and mosques would be based on guidelines issued by the task force and protocols agreed on by states.
But the Coordinator of the PTF, Dr. Sani Aliyu, gave detailed explanations of the recommendations approved by the President. Mustapha said the ban on interstate movements, which the President, in his April 27 broadcast, imposed on the nation, remained. He stated that the second phase of eased lockdown would begin on Tuesday (today) and end on June 29. Buhari had on April 27 imposed an 8pm to 6am curfew on the nation and introduced a total lockdown on Kano State, which recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Mustapha said the PTF on Sunday submitted a report to the President based on its review of the eased lockdown. According to him, the second phase will be guided by “data and science.”
He said the PTF recommendations were, among others, based on the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and all national economies as well as pain the lockdown brought upon the poor.The chairman said, under the eased lockdown, Nigeria’s confirmed cases increased, adding that the majority of the confirmed cases were in 20 out of the 774 local government areas in the country.
