NCDC DG: It will take a while for Nigerians to return to normal lives

Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says it will take a while before normalcy is fully restored in the country.

As of 11:30 pm on April 23, Nigeria had recorded 981 confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of which 197 patients have recovered while 31 persons have died.

The disease which has spread through 26 states and the federal capital territory, has resulted in several measures put in place to curb its spread.

Some of such measures have disrupted the daily activities of Nigerians as well as impacted terribly on businesses.

Speaking at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 on Friday, Ihekweazu said it will take a while for Nigerians to return to their normal lives.

He admitted that the journey has been challenging for Nigerians, adding that the sacrifices made are appreciated by the government.

The NCDC boss urged Nigerians to be patient as efforts are made to ensure the eradication of the virus and to restore normalcy.

“As we travelled round the country over the last four days, we could really see how difficult it has been and how hard Nigerians have been trying to do their very best,” he said.

“We know it is a difficult journey, but we also know that we will eventually exit this stage and we start our normal lives. But that stage is still a while to come and I ask for your endurance, support and patience.

“Lots of effort are going on across the world to find new therapy to find vaccines. Everybody is pushing very hard in this direction. So we need to stay firm and continue trying.

“We need to adopt unprecedented level of caution and continue carrying out the preventive measures that we advise severally.”

The NCDC boss had earlier said COVID-19 will spread to every state in Nigeria.