COVID-19: We Are Ready To Lockdown Bauchi LGA, But Need More Time, Bauchi Governor Declares

Following the directive by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 pandemic directing for the lockdown of Bauchi LGA, the State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has declared that the state government is ready to comply but pleaded with the NCDC and the PTF to give the government time to study and improve on the prevailing situation.

The declaration to lockdown Bauchi LGA was made by the governor on Monday while inspecting the N100 million Molecular, Genetic and Infectious Diseases Laboratory established by the Tertiary Education Fund (TetFUND) at the College of Medical Sciences of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.

The governor said that “As a law-abiding government and a participant in the federating of Nigeria, we are ready to abide by the directive because we too are worried about the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. People are not complying with the preventive protocol put in place.”

He further lamented that the infection is in the increase because of the non-adherence to the measures put in place by the medical authorities to curb the spread saying that, “people are not observing the social /physical distancing, not wearing face masks and not washing their hands with clean water as well as not using hand sanitisers”.

He however declared that, “we do not have community transmission in Bauchi. All the positive cases were imported by the people who are coming into the state on a daily basis. We are trying to control that trend.”

Bala Mohammed then assured that “If it becomes absolutely necessary, we will lockdown the LGA as directed and we will provide palliation for the people that will be affected, so, we are pleading for time from the NCDC and the PTF to enable us to get ready for the implementation of the directive.”

The governor also appealed to people of the state to come out and be tested so that their status can be known saying that, “government is ready to continue to treat those found to be negative, after all, being positive is neither the end of life or death sentence.”