MINISTER of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said on Monday that the Federal Government was prepared to take tougher measures on contact tracing as part of its response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Mohammed said at a media briefing in Abuja that the Federal Government would not hesitate to deploy the military and the police for contact tracing in cases where persons suspected to have contacted the virus failed to voluntarily show up for testing.
“We should be ready for tougher measures. The forms they will take will be out from the end of today or tomorrow. However, Nigerians should be ready for tougher measures,’’ the Minister said.
He added, “If we don’t do proper contact tracing, the figure will multiply every five days. Nigerians must take ownership of this initiative.
“We won’t hesitate to use whatever measure to ensure that we do not endanger other Nigerians. Containment is very cheaper than cure.
“A few people have helped. If you know you travelled recently, give yourself up to relevant agencies.
“If the situation warrants, we may be forced to use the police and the military for contact tracing. The police are already working on that.
‘’We do not want the figure we have now to multiply. We should work towards containment which is cheaper,” Mohammed explained.