The Adamawa State Government says it has observed low compliance to rules stipulated for the prevention of COVID-19 and warned that it will apply stiffer penalties against non-complying residents.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof Abdullahi Isa, specified at a news briefing in Yola on Saturday after a meeting by members of the State Technical Committee for Containment of COVID-19, that some religious leaders and social groups had been guilty on the rule limiting the number of people in gatherings.
DAILY POST observed Saturday that some weddings took place, which drew many invitees at the state capital, Yola, and that on Friday, Jummat prayers drew large crowds around the city.
The Commissioner of Health said government would not continue to condone such attitude as the safety measures are meant to protect the lives of the people.
He disclosed that the State Technical Committee had now been expanded to include religious leaders so that they will help in disseminating information to their followers on safety measures against COVID-19 pandemic.
The commissioner added that the Technical Committee had met with the local government chairmen and urged them to repair all ambulances in their respective local government areas and station them at the primary healthcare centres around them in case of any outbreak of the disease in the state.
Adamawa State still does not have any Coronavirus case, but in effort to remain free, the government asked that civil servants on level one to 14 should work from home, a directive which took effect on Thursday, March 26; just as the government closed down all schools on Friday, March 27, after earlier giving them one week to round off their second term schedules and shut down.
The government is yet to take the more desperate step of declaring a curfew, and had to dismiss a curfew rumour earlier on Saturday, when it said a story that a curfew had been declared with effect from the early hours of Saturday was just a rumour
Mr Humwashi Wonosikou, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, said in a statement passed to newsmen that the state had not considered it strictly necessary to impose a curfew, but warned that the people should observe all rules aimed at keeping COVID-19 from the state.
