Kaduna State Government has announced extraordinary preventive measures against coronavirus:
Civil servants from Level 12 and below are to stay at home for the next 30 days, except for those on essential service; only sellers of food & medicines can open their shops in the markets from tomorrow.
Security agencies will enforce restrictions on large gatherings, especially in churches and mosques and as well as the closure of schools, whether public or private, religious or secular, Islamiya or run by Christian missions.
At a time of danger, non-essential travel is a dangerous luxury and there is no point pretending that we are in normal times. People are advised to stay at home and avoid moving around, unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
To this end, we have contacted the relevant federal authorities to stop the Abuja-Kaduna train service and thus limit the danger from contact on the train and the influx from people who might have been exposed to infected persons.
Mallam Nasir Elrufai has put on record Kaduna State Government gratitude to those religious leaders who complied with the restriction on large gatherings and have also spoken up to support the preventive measures.
Over the weekend, govt also sadly observed shocking levels of complacency as some people ignored their responsibility to uphold preventive measures. We received reports of congregations in some churches and mosques, as well as large crowds in weddings and other social activities.
Kaduna State Government will not hesitate to impose a statewide curfew, should that become the only way to enforce compliance & make everyone understand the collective danger that we face. Prevention is the only logical thing to do because our health system cannot cope with an outbreak of Covid-19.
It is better to impose restrictions and save lives, than to be complacent and bury victims. Countries that have hesitated to impose extraordinary measures to contain coronavirus are now regretting. We have a chance to avoid such mistakes.
The Kaduna State Government is closely observing the implementation of these measures and the evolving global picture and will not hesitate to impose a lockdown of the entire state, if events dictate.
My dear people of Kaduna State, let us face this danger with utmost faith in Almighty God who has gifted us with the knowledge to make rational decisions. Let each of us do our duty to prevent coronavirus from spreading among us.“ -Malam Nasir Elrufai
