The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has warned the public to desist from large gatherings of “whatever category”.
This comes after the hip-hop artiste, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, held a concert at the Jabi Lake Mall on Saturday against the warning issued by the PTF as part of the measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who spoke during the daily task force briefing on Monday said, “Gatherings are still not open of any form, we must avoid it either driving, shows, rallies or whatever categories, be responsible. The lifted restriction does not mean carelessness and that life is normal. Yes, there is a normal – but it is a new normal.”
While reacting to the Saturday incident, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, also expressed his disappointment sayings: “We must discourage ourselves from attending mass gatherings. The mass gathering that happened in Abuja that has been all over the media, there were people there – Nigerians that looked themselves in the eyes and said nothing and celebrated each other for being there. Not a single person stood up and said in the context of what is happening and for the sake of my parents at home, let’s stop this concert.”
“Yes, there will be a lot of discussions about the mall, about the regulations, about the flight, and you’ll hear some of them but for me, the most disturbing thing is the people that attended and said nothing and enjoyed the event. The health of each of us is dependent on the actions that each of us takes over the next few months,” the NCDC boss said,