The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has placed six states and Abuja on red alert.

The decision comes amid fears of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the confirmation of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. 

The affected states, which are spread across four of the country’s six geopolitical zones of South-west, South-south, North-West and North-central are Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and the nation’s capital, FCT.

A statement issued early Sunday morning and signed by the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, noted that the nation has, in the recent time, continued to witness “worrisome early signs of the third wave of the pandemic.”

Mr Mustapha, who doubles as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), urged other states of the federation to increase their level of preparedness and continue to enforce all protocols to guard against the spread of the coronavirus, just as he warned Nigerians to be mindful of the likelihood of the wider spread of the coronavirus as they celebrate Eid-el-Kabir on Tuesday and Wednesday.0

The SGF also said the government would sustain the current restrictive measures against travellers from countries including India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.

“The PSC shall continue to minimise the risk of importation of variants of concern into the country by strengthening surveillance at all Points of Entry, enforcing extant quarantine protocols and sustaining the current restrictive measures against travellers arriving from India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa,” Mustapha said.

“The PSC felicitates with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. It, however, urges all state governments and religious leaders to be mindful of the potential for wider spread of the virus during large gatherings,” he added.

What you should know

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had on July 8 said it had detected a confirmed case with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2 in a traveller to Nigeria, while following the routine travel test required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.

The Delta variant of Covid-19 has been described by World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus as “the most transmissible” mutation to date.

According to WHO’s Technical Lead on COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, the Delta variant has proved “extremely contagious in any country it reaches.”

“The delta variant can make the epidemic curve exponentially,” Ms Kerkhove said.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, during a virtual press briefing on July 1, said, “The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave is like nothing we’ve seen before. The rampant spread of more contagious variants pushes the threat to Africa up to a whole new level.

“More transmission means more serious illness and more deaths so everyone must act now and boost prevention measures to stop an emergency becoming a tragedy.”

The website of the NCDC on Saturday said, “On July 17, 123 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria. To date, 169,329 cases have been confirmed, 164,672 cases have been discharged and 2,126 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory."