TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and the federal capital territory (FCT) by two weeks.

The president first ordered a two-week lockdown on March 30, saying he took the decision to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

In a nationwide broadcast on Monday, Buhari said although locking down the two states and the nation’s capital was a difficult decision for his government, “such sacrifices are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our country”.

He added that he decided to extend the lockdown to ensure that the disease which is now being transmitted within communities is checked.

“With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight,” he said.

“This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peter’s Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax.”

As of Monday evening, a total of 323 cases had been confirmed in the country with 91 patients discharged and 10 deaths recorded.