FG worried over mental health of COVID-19 survivors

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says it is still very much concerned about the mental health of COVID-19 survivors in the country.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and PTF Chairman, Boss Mustapha, at the briefing of the taskforce in Abuja yesterday, said the PTF was monitoring situations around the world and would continue to raise the flag so that Nigerians could pay adequate attention to the rising number of cases, especially in high burden countries.

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“In this regard the PTF is following reports from researches around the world regarding the state of psychiatric health of survivors and has intensified plans for in-country response under the treatment and post-treatment regimes,” Mustapha said.

He said that monitoring the global situation would help in planning to or not to embark on trips, and that the candid advice of the PTF remained that non-essential trips be totally avoided.

He warned that Nigeria should not let the guards down for a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

“The number of cases has been fluctuating lately and that is an indication that we are not out of the woods yet.

“The cases in Lagos where multiple infections were recorded in two schools are typical examples of the danger of reopening institutions without the required measures.

“We must all rally round each other to stop this pandemic from destroying our lives and economy. The PTF believes strongly that now is the time to raise the tempo of not just our national response but also our preparedness for a new wave of the pandemic or any other epidemic for that matter. For example, it has been strongly observed that places of worship, gatherings and other events have dumped the use of face masks and adherence to other NPIs.

He also urged all Nigerians to come out for regular testing as the testing rate was very discouraging.

Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Nuhu, said the Kano and Port Harcourt International Airports would soon be reopened to decongest the Lagos and Abuja Airports and make travels more convenient for passengers.

He said both airports would be reopened when the issues of ICT infrastructure and adequate number of staff to man the airports had been provided.

Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, advised Nigerians to suspend unnecessary travels particularly to high burden countries for the next one year.