FG Releases New Guidelines For Yuletide As COVID-19 Infections Peak At 67,000

Nigerian government has handed down new regulations for this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.

CityNews Nigeria reports that the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has urged Nigerians not to conduct usual Christmas festivities such as carol services this year.

Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), stated this during the weekly briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday.

According to Ihekweazu, Christmas carols, travels and other gatherings during the festive season, could turn out to be “super spreaders” of the coronavirus.

He said, “This is really to re-emphasise the call by the PTF that many of the traditional meetings that we engage in at this time of the year, whether they are Christmas carols or festivals, trips, family gatherings, each of those could end up being a super spreader event.

“So, we must take this into consideration as we make our choices.”

NCDC on Monday night announced 145 new cases of COVID-19 in the country.

The new infections take the number of cases in the country to 67,557.