Kano state government has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for the streamlined response aimed at combating the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the state and the country at large. This statement comes after the COVID-19 lockdown orders imposed on the state by the President.
The state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba said in a statement that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has commended the drastic measures announced (COVID-19 lockdown orders) by the President, saying that coupled with the effort of the state government, it would hopefully go a long way in mitigating the situation.
He also said that ‘’with the ongoing comprehensive investigation on the pandemic in the state, the deployment of additional federal government manpower, material and technical resources as announced by the President to strengthen and support the state government’s efforts would equally help in extenuating the pandemic.’’
Malam Garba said while the test centres being managed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with the state government are now fully operational, Governor Ganduje has assured that plans are underway to open three more with a view to aggressively reinforce testing and contact tracing measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
The commissioner said the enforcement of a total COVID-19 lockdown orders for a period of two weeks in the state by the President would help in controlling and containing the pandemic and also prevent the risk of further spread to neighbouring states.
He expressed government readiness to support security agencies in ensuring effective enforcement, and called on the people to cooperate and show understanding by strictly abiding by the lockdown order.
While acknowledging that the lockdown comes at a hefty cost, the commissioner said that it still remains the major way of preventing the spread of the virus.
Malam Garba also pleaded with the public to observe strictly personal hygiene that include regular hand washing, physical distancing, wearing of face masks in public and avoidance of large gatherings.
The President in his nationwide broadcast on Monday 27th April 2020, said “in Kano, and indeed many other States that are recording new cases, preliminary findings show that such cases are mostly from interstate travel and emerging community transmission.
Drawing from these, I implore all Nigerians to continue to adhere strictly to the advisories published by the Presidential Task Force and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
These include regular hand washing, physical distancing, wearing of face masks/coverings in public, avoidance of non-essential movement and travels and avoidance of large gatherings.
The Federal Government shall deploy all the necessary human, material and technical resources to support the State in controlling and containing the pandemic and preventing the risk of further spread to neighboring States.
With regards to Kano, I have directed the enforcement of a total lockdown for a period of two weeks effective immediately,” he said.