As the country continues to be on lockdown as per the directives of federal government due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Nigeria, businesses and works have been on hold. According to W.H.O, lockdown and social distancing is a way to curtail the spread of the virus and the federal and state government have ordered Nigerians to stay indoor.
However, the Cross River state governor, Ben Ayade, has asked civil servants from grade level 10 to return to work from Tuesday. The governor, who is a professor of science released the statement three days after he had said that there is no need for social distancing if people wear masks.
In a statement released by Christian Ita, his senior special assistant on media, the governor instructed the garment factory in the state to give out face masks for free to people.
“The governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade has issued the following new orders: All civil servants from Grade Level 10 and above are to resume work on Tuesday, April 14, 2020,” the statement read.
“The no mask no movement policy is still in full force. All returning civil servants are to receive nose masks from the COVID-19 Response Task Force through their respective permanent secretaries. All nose masks to be used in the state must be locally made, with the place of origin clearly marked.
“The sale of masks made by the Cross River State Garment Factory is prohibited. Masks are to be distributed free of charge.”
The governor however added that the borders of the state will remain locked and the ban of gatherings of above 20 people will remain intact as well.
“All entry and exit points (air, land and water) into the state hereby remain closed for a further two weeks,” he said.
“For any emergency evacuation by air, a certification by the national headquarters of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) is required. Even so, the pilots are prohibited from stepping out of the aircraft
“Nobody is allowed in public places such as markets, shopping malls, sports arena, banks etc without the correct use of appropriate nose mask.
“Mass gatherings of all kinds such as worships, weddings, burials etc remain prohibited. Defaulters will be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Cross River State Epidemic and Pandemic Law 2020.”
It’s worthy of note that Cross River state is among the states that have not recorded a single case of coronavirus. However, some governors that relaxed the lockdown order in their states have reversed their order as fresh cases of the virus was recorded there. As it stands, there are 318 reported cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, with 70 recoveries and 10 deaths across the federation.
