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Senate Lists What Buhari Must Do To Contain Coronavirus

BY MARY KUYE

As the pandemic of coronavirus cases continue to increase in Nigeria, the Senate has outlined measures President Muhammadu Buhari must take to contain the spread of the virus.

It also tasked President Buhari to as a matter of urgency address the nation on the situation of  COVID-19 in Nigeria.

According to the lawmakers, if the president addresses Nigerians, the people of the land would be more serious in adhering to the preventive measures.

This is just as it also urged the federal government to take more drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus.

The measures, it said, should include a travel ban on some countries identified as epicentres, restrictions on large gathering, tighter border control, and stringent screening of those coming into the country.

The Senate also asked the government and Nigerians to keep abreast developments related to the pandemic.

It asked the federal government to ban some airlines from countries where the virus is widespread.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Now Has 8 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus

The Senate asked the government to close down all international airports in Nigeria except Abuja and Lagos as well as suspend the issuance of visa on arrival.

It urged the Federal Government to quarantine Nigerians returning from countries that had recorded over 1,000 cases. Special intervention fund should be set aside to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, it urged.

These resolutions followed a motion by Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe). Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, cautioned against being complacent even though the country had only three (now eight) confirmed cases.

“If we feel we are safe, it will lead us to complacency,” he said, urging the government to marshal all available resources to tackle the virus spread.

Lawal also urged the federal government to set up testing centres in each of the six geopolitical zones, saying that it was dangerous for not having centres in north and southeast.

Senators, in their various contributions, said if advanced countries were taking drastic measures to contain COVID19 and protect their citizens, Nigeria should not be an exception.

They said the virus may spread to another part of the country if serious measures were not taken.

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