Lagos seeing ‘signicant rise’ in Omicron COVID-19 variant, says Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said there has been a significant rise in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the state.

“Between Tuesday 30, November 2021 that I made my address and now, we have seen a significant rise in cases associated with the Omicron variant of this pandemic,” Sanwo-Olu said in a statement.

Sanwo-Olu did not announce the figure of COVID-19 cases associated with the Omicron but the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said six cases have been detected in the country as of Tuesday, December 7.

Lagos State remains the epicenter of COVID-19 in Nigeria and Sanwo-Olu, who had scheduled a peace walk in solidarity with victims of police brutality, called it off, saying “I will not endanger the life of any Lagosian in my sincere search for peace.”

Already, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are wary of how the Omicron variant could spread in Nigeria and have announced new travel restrictions for Nigerians.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia followed suit on Wednesday when it suspended flights from Nigeria over fears of the Omicron variant.

Lagos State earlier this week announced strict guidelines to curb the further spread of COVID-19 in the state.

Lagos Information commissioner Gbenga Omotoso in a statement said all social events must be registered for safety clearance before holding.Evidence of full or partial Covid-19 vaccination is a prerequisite for attending social events, state authorities said.

“In unvaccinated people, a negative PCR test within 72 hours will be an exemption,” Omotoso said.

He said all guests and service providers with temperatures above 37.5 should be “politely turned back and referred to paramedics or the emergency response team on ground.”
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