Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State on Thursday extended the COVID-19 Preventive, Containment and Emergency Order in the state by two weeks from Wednesday.
The Secretary to the State Government and Chairman, Niger State Task Force on Covid-19 Pandemic, Ahmed Matane, made this known in a statement.
Bello said the extension of the lockdown was as a result of the increase in the confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state.
The governor urged residents to adhere strictly to the safety protocols such as the mandatory wearing of face masks in public places and observance of social distancing.
Others are regular handwashing with soap under running water, application of hand sanitisers and staying at home as advised by health workers.
Bello also warned that there should be no human and vehicular movements during the lockdown days, except those on essential duties.
He said the three days window period of Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays remain.
The governor said movement within border areas remain restricted and the government would continue to monitor the situation at the border zones.
“Public and Private Schools, as well as Tertiary Institutions, remain closed while social activities that involve more than twenty people stand prohibited,” Bello said.
He said the operations of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada remain banned while other commercial vehicles are to abide by the Ministry of Transport guidelines.
The governor urged residents to support his administration’s good intentions of keeping everyone safe from the dreaded disease.
Bello warned that anyone who failed to comply with the requirement imposed under the COVID-19 Order would be liable to a fine or imprisonment or both in accordance with the extant laws.
(NAN)
