Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this during a daily briefing in Abuja, adding that the reopening of schools at this critical time amounts to exposing the general public to more danger.

“We get report that some states are considering reopening of schools, viewing centres and other gatherings that encourage large crown, such step is not encouraging at this moment. PTF is emphasising that it’s not yet safe to do so. We need to be cautious and adhere to the PTF guideline,” Mustapha said.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF,  explained that the COVID-19 battle is no longer in the hand of health workers but rather in the hand of the general public, “before, health workers were our front line but that is no longer so, the war has shifted to the community, our health works are now our last line of defence.

“The war can no longer be won at the hospital, you are now responsible for protecting yourself, family and community, we must avoid large gathering and need to be responsible. PTF will remain conscious and adhere to precaution guidelines like social distance, face mask among others,” the PTF Chairman said.

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,