Bello Orders Closure of Schools, Bans Gathering of over 30 People

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has ordered the closure of public and private schools (tertiary, secondary and primary) in the state indefinitely as measures in preventing the spread of Coronavirus disease in the state.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed in Lokoja yesterday, said the closure of schools and other public gathering places take effect from Monday, March 23, 2020.

The governor also banned all forms of gathering involving 30 people and above as part of the preventive measures against the pandemic.

Bello explained the measures became imperative given the strategic location of the state which serve as transit point for travellers connecting various parts of the federation.

The statement urged citizens of the state to be cautious and observe high level personal hygiene practice such as constant hand washing with soap and hand sanitisers as well as observance of social distancing.

As part of its preparedness, the state government has set up an isolation centre in Lokoja, the state capital and an Emergency Response Team had been constituted too.

At the moment, sensitisation and awareness are being created on the disease through the media as well as in parks, markets and community levels.

According to the statement, government is leveraging on the existing house-to-house Lassa Fever campaign to take the message of COVID-19 to the grassroots.

The government also provided the following emergency telephone numbers for rapid response:08064469625, 07067918835, 08030607102, 08034732988, 08076288933.