COVID-19: It’s difficult to talk about another lockdown — Gov Lalong

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau says it is difficult to talk about another lockdown as states strive to contain the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lalong spoke with State House correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The governor said that he contracted and survived COVID-19, adding that he went through a trying period during the treatment and recovery.

He said that his state had lost five prominent persons to the pandemic.

“I just recovered from COVID-19; for those who say that it does not exist, I don’t wish my enemies to go throw what I went through for 10 days.

“All the symptoms were there; everything that I went through; I thank God that I was able to come out of it and I am now very healthy.

“Also, as a member of the PTF representing the governors; we have drummed it that this second wave is more dangerous than what we saw before.

“In my state, we lost almost five people; they are Very Important Personalities (VIPs); they are VIPs; so, in terms of approach, we need to be very vigilant; we have said it several times.

“Although, it is difficult to talk about locking down states now; but the way people are going; when you start talking about losing five people within two weeks.

“Yesterday, I saw it; my state recorded 160 cases, definitely, there must be an approach towards enforcement; so this is what we are doing as governors and we are taking it seriously.’’

According to Lalong, he will, in the coming week, engage in a wide stakeholders’ meeting to emphasise the issue of enforcement.

He said he had warned people in the churches and other places that they must observe the protocols or face another lockdown.

“Every church I go to now; everywhere I go, I tell them; if you don’t follow enforcement, then you may go back to the last option of general lockdown but let us approach it because it is really very deadly now.

“Somebody gets it; one, two, three days, he is gone; but before, somebody gets it, you rush him to the centre; you go through processes and you come out of it.

“But how many people will come out; how many people are privileged to even come out it like we do and that is the concern we have.

“The Federal Government is doing a lot honestly through the committee headed by the vice president but it is just that people don’t want to follow the protocol.

“Just observe the normal non-pharmaceutical protocol and definitely we will get over it,’’ he said.

On security in the North, he said the region had trained constabularies for community policing and had distributed them.

He said that aside the North, there were security concerns all over the country as President Muhammadu Buhari pledged to address in his New Year broadcast.

Lalong expressed optimism that the security situation in Nigeria would improve in 2021.