PTF Urges Market Leaders To Abide By COVID-19 Protocols

The National Incident Manager of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mukhtar Muhammed has urged market leaders to ensure traders and buyers comply with COVID-19 protocols including the use of face masks, social distancing and washing of hands at market places across the country.

Muhammed also said temperature checks before buyers and sellers transact businesses at various markets places is mandatory, following the continues surge of the infection across states. 

Muhammed stated this while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday.

He said, “We want economic activities to continue but this has to be in a regulated fashion where there won’t be increased risk for people transacting their businesses.

“We would want to see a market where before you enter the market, there is somebody stationed there to measure your body temperature. And if your temperature is above 38 degrees, you will be turned back and advised to seek assistance or linked directly to where you will have a test done.

"If your temperature is negative, then, they will also ensure that you have a face mask which is actually the first step – if you don’t have a face mask, you won’t be allowed to come near the gate of the market.

“We also want to see the law enforcement agencies working side by side with the necessary stakeholders –the association of the market regulators to ensure that these protocols are complied with. Not only the markets but all public places, the supermarkets, parks, event centres and so on and so forth.”

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The disregard for COVID-19 protocols at the market places have been a point of concern in the last eleven months since Nigeria recorded its index case of the virus in February 2020.

Health experts have also attributed the spread of the virus in the country to the non-compliance of the preventive measures by market users.

Many have also opined that the decentralised or ungated nature of most markets in the country has made the enforcement of temperature checks, social distancing and other Covid protocols seemingly a mirage.

“We also envision to see where the market authorities themselves become responsible and ensure that all these measures are put in place and people that are not complying are quickly refuted or taken out of the market place.