The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-has urged all essential workers to go about their legitimate businesses unhindered but carry valid means of identification.
Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of Presidential Task Force (PTF) said this at the COVID-19 daily press briefing on Thursday in Abuja.He also apologized for the hardships essential workers experienced within the week, reports from the briefing centre said.
He, however, said that there was need to exercise courtesy on the part of essential workers in approaching security personnel.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that security personnel had been having issues with journalists and medical practitioners in the course of enforcing directives on COVID-19.
According to Mustapha, for the avoidance of doubt, essential workers include our indefatigable medical personnel, diligent journalists, courageous fire service personnel, telecommunications workers, are all exempted.
Mustapha noted that the Inspector General of Police further clarified the categories of essential workers in alignment with the guidelines and has issued instructions to security agents to comply to directive on exemptions.
“With this clarification, we sincerely hope that the persistent complaints of harassment by these categories of essential workers, especially medical personnel and journalists, would be put to rest,” he said.
He said that would enable all parties invloved to work harmoniously in battling the virus.
Mustapha noted that PTF had retierated the categories of persons and services exempted from the restiction on movement guidelines.
“Particularly as it relate to restrictions on inter-state movement and curfew,” he said.
According to the chairman, it is of utmost importance to remind our sub-national entities on the need to diligently implement the guidelines.
He said it was also imperative to exercise caution in relaxing restrictions in a manner that was capable of setting back the gains already made, adding that it was imperative to observe personal and collective responsibility to defeat the virus.
(With reports NAN and others)
