President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday ordered a total restriction of movements in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for an initial period of 14 days following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country,
The President, who disclosed this in a nationwide broadcast on the COVID-19 pandemic, said the directive takes effect from Monday.
He said the restriction would also apply to Ogun State due to its close proximity to Lagos and the high traffic between the two states.
According to him, the decision was taken based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
However, the President said the order does not apply to hospitals and all related medical establishments as well as organizations in healthcare-related manufacturing and distribution outlets.
Also exempted from the directive were commercial establishments such as food processing, distribution, and retail companies, petroleum distribution and retail entities, power generation, transmission and distribution companies; and private security companies.
Buhari said: “All citizens in these areas are to stay in their homes. Travel to or from other states should be postponed. All businesses and offices within these locations should be fully closed during this period.
“ The Governors of Lagos and Ogun States, as well as the Minister of the FCT, have been notified. Furthermore, heads of security and intelligence agencies have also been briefed.
“We will use this containment period to identify, trace and isolate all individuals that have come into contact with confirmed cases. We will ensure the treatment of confirmed cases while restricting further spread to other States.
“This order does not apply to hospitals and all related medical establishments as well as organizations in healthcare-related manufacturing and distribution.”
