Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has said that the 63 markets in the state will be re-opened on Monday, May 4, 2020, for business.
Obiano who announced this shortly after a closed-door meeting with market leaders in the state said that markets would be opened only after traders must have participated in the training organized by the state government.
He said that each market must have a COVID-19 team that will have the responsibility of enforcing COVID-19 preventive measures and guidelines which include compulsory wearing of face masks, provision of running water, hand sanitizers, social distancing, among others.
The governor also urged industrialists in the state to re-open, but should observe the COVID-19 directives. He stressed that the only condition for re-opeining of the markets was to have the COVID-19 teams ready, saying that markets which were not ready, would not be allowed to open.
He said that he resolved with the market leaders that the markets would close early, to avoid the usual rush associated with closing late, adding that Anambra boundaries remained closed.
Obiano, however, informed that NCDC had agreed to upgrade the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, to a test center.
Obiano said that his administration was weighing the options while gradually re-opening all segments of the state, noting that Anambra schools would remain shut, same as the civil service.