Nigerian Government Asks Churches, Mosques, Others To Submit Guidelines For Reopening

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, has asked professional groups and faith-based organisations, including churches and mosques, to submit guidelines for reopening to the NCDC.

He stated this during a press conference of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Thursday.

“This is what we’ve been advising every society, organisation, community, be it faith-based, cultural-based, professionally based, to come up with guidelines for themselves. We are happy to advise and engage, but this needs to be led and owned by the leaders of those organisations,” he said.

The NCDC DG added that every stakeholder in society needed to take responsibility for the part it owned and managed.

He disclosed that the centre received a draft of guidelines by the Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association to reopen interstate transportation while preventing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

He urged other organisations and communities to come up with similar guidelines to expedite the process of safely reopening the economy.

Ihekweazu said, “I was happy yesterday to receive a new set of draft guidelines by the Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association. Those are people that manage the long-distance buses that travel across the country, what we call ‘luxury’ buses.

“They had drafted their guidelines for reopening safely and sent it to us for review and to advise them on the measures they are now recommending on how to manage their loading centres, buses and engagements with their customers at the point when we may allow them to reopen.”

He noted that though NCDC has its guidelines and advice, it is willing to engage with leaders of organizations on how to reopen the economy while curbing the spread of COVID-19.