COVID -19 Vaccines: FCTA warns residents not to flout health protocols

The Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has warned residents not to capitalise on the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines into the country to start flouting the 2021 COVID-19 health protocol.

While briefing Journalists in Abuja Nigeria’s capital, the Head, Media and Enlightenment, FCT Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19, Ikharo Attah said the Administration does not intend to relax any of the Covid-19 protocols any time soon.

He noted that the Administration will in the next few days intensify effort to enforce Covid-19 protocol compliance among residents inorder to flatten its curve in the FCT.

Attah further disclosed that the enforcement team had since inception in December 2020, arrested a total of 2,112 persons among which 510 were prosecuted while 350 were convicted and fined.

He added that 152 persons were sentenced to community service, 32 were discharged and acquitted by the court while only one person was sentenced to prison for physically engaging officials of the enforcement team.

According to him “the enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols under the chairmanship of the commissioner of Police for the FCT, Malam Bala Ciroma, has seen a strict supervision of enforcement so far. 

The first wave was a tough time, but we followed it through, and we actually flattened the curve. The second wave commenced in December 2020, we had also followed it through. And since December until February 28, we had carried out intensive operations on almost all fronts in the FCT, to ensure that we fight COVID-19 very strongly”. 

Attah noted that in the next few days, the team will intensify efforts in enforcing COVID-19 protocols compliance in the FCT.

He hinted that, now that the vaccines are already in the country, the likelihood is that many people will believe that it’s over, which will worsen matters as it happened after the first wave.

“We will not allow that. We will come out with strict enforcement, with additional mobile court and we will go out and ensure that everyone comply with the protocols, so that while we take the vaccines, we do what is right and we flatten the curve, we hope that very soon we will be done with COVID-19″, He stated.

Emmanuel Ukoh