Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state has passionately appealed to his people to strictly obey the protocols of COVID-19 including wearing of face mask, personal hygiene and Social Distancing.
Ganduje who flagged off the distribution of two million face masks to residents within the eight Local Government Area of Kano municipality noted that, total lockdown will stop the spread of COVID-19 if the people refuse to obey the protocols.
According to him, total lockdown without wearing of face mask, personal hygiene and Social Distancing is “COVID-19-impossible.”
He said government at the state and Local Government Area levels is producing more face-masks that will go round the 44 Local Government Areas in the state.
According to him, “no amount of lockdown will break the chain of transmission of the virus until our people are ready to do their own part, until our people do obey the all the protocols of COVID-19, otherwise, all the efforts we have made, eventually, the result will not be achieved.
“I know the lockdown has constituted a number of problems to our people, but this is a sacrifice that we must do. However, the lockdown must be fine-tuned. Complete lockdown is COVID-19-impossible. There must be some fine-tuning, there must be some adjustment so that livelihood will also be given attention.
“But what is important in order to relax the lockdown, eventually, we must make the rules and regulations as part of our tradition and as part of our culture.”
He added thaf, “this disease is certainly affecting the tradition and culture and we must accept it. We had earlier informed members of the public that very importantly is the social and physical distancing.
“Social Distancing is making the transmission of the virus very difficult, because a virus coming from the body, going into another person’s body is being ineffective in terms of transmission if Social Distancing is maintained.
“If we abide by personal hygiene and obey the protocol of COVID-19 in the state, then we will be able to move around freely without transmission.
“Everybody in Kano must use the face mask. We are distributing this house-to-house. We are producing more. We are going to ensure wider and deeper distribution of these materials.
“This is an important occasion for the launching and distribution of over two million face masks to the people across the 44 Local Government Areas. For now, we are starting with the eight Local Government Areas within the Kano metropolis.
“This measure is part of the preventive capacity which the state government is building against COVID-19 pandemic.
“Tailors across the state will be engaged by the government for the production of the material. We will mandate them to bring samples for the mass production so that the distribution will be widely and effectively implemented.
“We request you to be diligent and plan how you will distribute these materials effectively. We have already recruited 1000 Sanitation Vanguards that will engage in the distribution of the materials in the eight Local Government Areas within the municipal. They will also ensure effective utilization of the face masks.
“Kano is a mega city. What is happening in Kano is not different from what is happening in other mega cities across the world.
“We must contain this virus, we must fight this virus. We must break the chain of transmission across and within the communities. But this is not possible without the use of face mask and other preventive materials and measures.”
Ganduje who said the Kano abbatoir will be open Mondays and Thursdays so that people can slaughter their animals, however, said security operatives and health experts would be deployed to monitor activities there, just like other designated markets.
Commissioners and Special Advisers from Ganduje’s cabinet were selected to supervise the distribution of the face mask and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across the Local Government Areas.
