COVID-19: Ayade Declares Lockdown In Cross River, Suspends LG Polls Indefinitely

Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, has declared a total lockdown in the state, as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

The governor made the declaration in a statement on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita.

“All the entry points into Cross River State (land, air, and water) are hereby locked down. Access will be based on passing a thorough screening regime,” the statement said.

He also ordered the indefinite suspension of the Local Government Council elections scheduled to hold on Saturday in the state.

Governor Ayade directed that all educational institutions in the state – both public and private must shut down from Tuesday until further notice.

He ordered all civil servants, except those on essential services such as medical personnel and revenue officers, to stay away from work for an initial period of two weeks, with immediate effect.

The governor directed that all social, cultural, and religious activities be suspended while essential activities in the state must not have a crowd beyond five persons.

On transportation, he ordered that every tricycle and taxi should convey only one passenger at a time and must have hand sanitisers for use by their passengers.

Governor Ayade also asked commercial bus drivers to have only two passengers on a seat and sanitise their vehicles after every trip.

The statement read, “All transport companies must keep a travel manifest for inbound and outbound passengers. They must also provide hand washstands and hand sanitisers in their buses.

“Passengers are consequently encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water and sanitise them before boarding.”

The governor directed that all public areas, bars, and restaurants should be limited to five customers at a time while corporate and business organisations must keep visitors’ registers and take temperature checks of guests using a non-contact infra-red thermometer.

He said any guest with high temperature above 38 degrees Celsius should be reported immediately to the COVID-19 emergency centre.

“The Commissioner for Health should immediately set up a COVID-19 ad-hoc monitoring unit to enforce compliance to all preventive measures as highlighted.

“The governor urges absolute compliance from our people with the above guidelines for our common safety, even as government ramps up efforts to ensure the state remains safe and COVID-19 free,” the statement added.