Malik Yahya/
Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has extended the lockdown of the state by another 30 days starting from today to curb the spread of COVID-19.
This was contained in a statement shared by El-Rufai via his verified Twitter handle, @GovKaduna, this evening.
The statement says the decision was based on the recommendation of the State Standing Committee on COVID-19, chaired by the deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe.
Read full statement below:
Malam Nasir @elrufai has extended the quarantine orders in the state for another 30 days, effective from 26th April 2020. The decision follows a recommendation to that effect by the State Standing Committee on Covid-19, chaired by @DrHadiza Balarabe.
With Covid-19 cases rising rapidly in neighbouring states and the FCT, and with strong evidence of interstate travel being a major means of spreading the virus, the Standing Committee’s evaluation is that measures to protect Kaduna State residents require further strengthening.
Malam Nasir @elrufai has endorsed this evaluation. Quarantine Orders have been reviewed to strengthen the provisions against unauthorised movements. Henceforth, only Wednesdays will be lockdown-free, until the trajectory of Covid-19 infections becomes clearer.
All persons that venture out of their homes for whatever reason must wear facemasks and observe social distancing everywhere they go, in markets and in authorised vehicles. Government is making efforts to provide facemasks for poor and vulnerable residents. And it appeals to everyone that can afford it to get their tailors to make them cloth facemasks which they can wash after every use. The government also encourages tailors to produce facemasks for sale to those that are neither poor nor vulnerable.
Wearing of facemasks will be robustly enforced as a critical public health measure to reduce person-person transmission.
As stated in the Quarantine Orders of 26th March 2020, schools, places of worship, event centres, sports grounds, bars, restaurants, markets, shops, public parks and all other places where large crowds could gather are to remain closed until further notice.
The only category of persons exempted are workers in essential services such as health workers, the fire service, water corporation, electricity distribution and security personnel. Tankers conveying fuel to petrol stations are also permitted to move.
Businesses in the food and pharmaceutical value-chain are exempted; and shall enjoy the protections accorded to other essential services.
The Kaduna State Government has clearly stated that no visitor is welcome to enter the state while the Covid-19 pandemic is raging. Entry into or passage through Kaduna State is prohibited whilst the Quarantine Orders remain in force.
Persons seeking to come into the state will be denied entry. Such persons will be given the option of returning to their take-off points or entering isolation for 14 days in locations and conditions that are so austere that nobody can mistake them for holiday resorts.
The vehicles being used to enable such attempts to breach the quarantine conditions will be confiscated and forfeited to the government upon conviction. The companies operating those vehicles will also be prosecuted and shall lose their license to operate in the state.
Mobile courts have been empowered by the Quarantine Orders to try violators and impose the prescribed penalties, including fines, imprisonment and forfeiture of vehicles, upon conviction.
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