The Federal Government has introduced new COVID restrictions nationwide. On May 10, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 announced the new guidelines for Nigeria’s fourth phase of the ease of lockdown. According to the National Incident Manager of the Committee, Dr. Mukhtar Muhammed, the measures are a response to concerns over non-compliance with public health and other social measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines have introduced a 12am to 4am curfew, effective from Tuesday, May 11, restriction on mass gatherings to no more than 50 persons in enclosed places, and the closure of event centres, bars, gyms and other recreational facilities till June 11. Religious gatherings are to be limited to less than 50 per cent capacity of the venue, while social gatherings are expected to comply with the restriction on mass gatherings. Furthermore, the government will be maintaining restrictions on the resumption of work of government workers on Grade Level 12 and below, while limiting meetings to virtual platforms as much as possible.
The Committee also stated that state governments had been advised to set up mobile tribunals for the prosecution of violators of these guidelines.
The new measures appear to have come without any warning. The statistics telling current state and rate of infections in the country is scanty and though worried about COVID-19 infections, Nigerians worry that the phase four restrictions imposed by the government needed to be based on evidence and data received from the field.