The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to extend the eased lockdown for another two weeks is to try and contain the spread of COVID-19, before the economy is fully reopened.

Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, stated this during the daily media briefing on Tuesday.

The first phase of the eased lockdown expired on Monday, May 18.

Buhari has now extended it by another two weeks until June 1.

Mustapha called on schools, places of worship, businesses, offices, etc to use this period to plan and adopt new strategies under a COVID-19 era in line with the guidelines.

According to Mustapha, the decision to reopen the economy slowly, is based on “current experiences from different countries and expert advice”.

He said: “Again, I wish to repeat that the decision is not punitive, we share your pains and also share your concerns. However, our future remains in our hands and compliance is one of the keys to opening that future.

“I must also emphasise that the two additional weeks should be utilized by businesses, offices, professional bodies, places of worship, educational institutions, etc awaiting reopening to plan and adopt new strategies under a COVID-19 era in line with the guidelines.

“Above all, behavioral change is a must for every citizen because COVID 19 has changed the world completely.”