The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged Nigerians to maintain “social distance’’ to curtail the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.

Mrs Priscilla Allu, the Director of NOA in Nasarawa State, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lafia.

Allu said the call to maintain social distance had become imperative as part of measures to curtail further spread of the virus in the country.

According to her, “maintaining distance from friends and family members does not mean hatred or any negative feeling towards them but to prevent the spread of the virus.”

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Allu noted that the information from affected countries and experts showed that personal and environmental hygiene alone were not enough to prevent the virus.

She said that the effort to curb further spread of the Coronavirus had become everybody’s business.

“People, especially from states that already have suspected  and confirmed cases of the virus must desist from handshake, hugging, and large gathering at the moment in their interests.

“They must improve on their personal and environmental hygiene and desist from spreading false rumour,’’ Allu said.

She urged the public to report any person exhibiting symptoms suspected to be of COVID-19 to the nearest response teams set up by the government for prompt action. (NAN)

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