The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has asked Nigerians to prepare for a major spike in Coronavirus infections in the next two weeks.

The public health institute said Monday that the expected surge in COVID-19 cases is a fallout of the now-rested #EndSARS protest which tarried for weeks nationwide.

Thousands of Nigerians had thronged the streets to agitate against the excessive use of force by the nation’s police, while demanding the complete scrapping of its vicious special anti-robbery squad.

NCDC chief Chike Ihekweazu says there will be consequences for the mass gatherings.

“As we move into the next two weeks, it will not take a rocket scientist to know that we have to watch the numbers very carefully”, Mr. Ihekweazu said in Abuja yesterday at the media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. 

“The reasons are obvious; we have gathered in our masses for whatever reason and for now, we have to keep our eyes open for the potential consequences.”

On his part, chairman of the task force Boss Mustapha, noted that the protests as well as the recurring invasion of warehouses believed to be storing COVID-19 palliatives in many parts of the country, have heightened the risk of a resurgence of the rampaging pandemic.

“The large gatherings witnessed during the protests and during the break-ins at various warehouses, homes and looting of stores put us at a great risk of a resurgence of the virus”, Mr. Mustapha said.

Nigeria recorded 119 new cases of the virus yesterday, bringing the total infection toll to 62,111.

Official data from the NCDC puts the total recovered cases in the country at 57,571 and 1,132 fatalities as of 11:15 p.m Monday.