Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku has ordered the closure of public and private, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state.
The shutdown is expected to commence from Tuesday, March 24.
Ishaku made this known during a statewide broadcast on Friday. He also said the gathering of persons should not be more than 20.
The measures according to the Governor are to ensure that the pandemic does not spread to Taraba.
”All the institutions are advised the few days notice to make necessary adjustments in their academic calendars to ensure compliance,” he said.
He encouraged residents of the state to ensure social distances by avoiding intimate etiquettes such as handshakes, hugs, and kissing.
”Fellow Tarabans, I have also ordered that there should be no longer any assembly, congregation or meetings of up to 20 persons at any particular time effective from today 20th March 2020, until the situation abates,” he said.
He advised the residents of the state to exercise caution while interacting at markets or any other institution.
The Governor also ordered that all social and recreational centres must close on or before 7 PM, as he enjoined owners of such places to observe basic hygiene practices in the conduct of their businesses.
He called on religious organizations to wholeheartedly support the measure with intensive prayers in their respective homes and not misconstrued the genuine intention of his administration.
” This measure should therefore not be seen as an affront on the freedom of worship but rather as a safeguard to protect the lives of worshippers in the state,” he said.
Ishaku encouraged law enforcement agencies to beef up security all over the state and to help ensure compliance with this executive order.
” These measures I must emphasize, stringent as they may appear, are been taken to control and contain the spread of coronavirus to Taraba state,” he said.
He encouraged royal fathers, opinion leaders, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, to also complement the resolve of the state government by intensifying efforts at sensitizing residents of the state on the need to comply with the overall interest of the state.
