Chikwe Ihekweazu, the director-general of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says Nigeria and the rest of the world would not return to normalcy until next year — at the very least.
Speaking at the 24th edition of The Platform, hosted by Poju Oyemade’s Covenant Nation, the NCDC boss said the short term pains are sacrifices Nigerians must make for a safer long term.
When asked how soon Nigeria would return to normalcy — away from wearing masks and social distancing and the rest of the COVID-19 precautions, Ihekweazu said: “for the next year”.
“We are faced with a difficult reality and we are not unique in this, every country is right now looking at the same challenge and how to get us back to some level of normalcy, but the reality is that we are going to live with COVID-19 for the next year at the very least,” he said
“So we have to start thinking about how to live safely with COVID-19, and you know some of the changes we would have to make are actually good things to have forever.
“The emphasis on hand-washing, sanitisers, respiratory hygiene; my goal as the leader of the NCDC is that we continue this forever.
“That we don’t go back like we did post-Ebola to an era of not washing our hand, not only will they prevent COVID but they will prevent so many other diseases from spreading, ultimately leading us into a better future”.
– The Cable
