COVID-19: Fintiri to Detain Restriction Defaulters in Isolation Centers

 Billy Graham Abel, Yola

Fintiri cautioned that the lifting of the stay-at-home order must be respected alongside the sustained ban on movement into and out of the state as defaulters would have their vehicles impounded at the point of entry and all passengers detained in isolation centers in the nearest local governments.

Fintiri, made this known in a statement issued to newsmen, in Yola, Adamawa State.

While suspending the lockdown, the governor said his government is committed to keeping the state off the coronavirus map in the country, hence the need to extend its ban on movements into and out of the state as necessary but painful measure to curb the inter-state transfer of the disease.

He reassured citizens that his government will not relent in its efforts at putting in place stringent measures to ensure residents of the state continue to obey social distancing order, maintain limits on number of gathering to within 50 persons, among other hygiene habits to be maintained to ensure public safety and to keep the state free of the virus.

While reassuring the public of his government’s commitment to the fight against coronavirus, he, however, reinforced his government’s position that all private and public schools must remain locked down and tricycle operators would be allowed to transport not more than two passengers at a time.

Fintiri said: “This administration will not relent in its commitment to keeping Adamawa State off the COVID-19 pandemic map and no effort will be spared to do so.

“Travels into and out of the state remains banned and our international borders will also remain closed

“For the avoidance of doubt, any vehicle conveying passengers into the state will be impounded at the entry point and the occupants moved into a quarantine centre, in the border local government, to be established by the state COVID-19 Containment Committee.

“Screening and detection of suspected cases will be maintained at all entry points while internal surveillance will be sustained across the state.

“Consequently, all private and public schools remain closed till further notice, while movement will only be allowed within the borders of the state.

“Here, I urge our security agents to enforce the closure order to the letter in view of reports that there have been cases of people defying the closure order and coming into the state from neighboring countries where the scourge of the COVID-19 virus has reached an alarming rate.”

He added that, “as a responsible government, we remain on high alert and will do everything to keep the state COVID-19 free.

“Consequently, funds have been released for the renovation of the Psychiatric Unit of the Specialist Hospital as another Isolation Centre added to the facilities at the Specialist Hospital, Saint Peter’s Minor Seminary, and Madugu VIP Resort.

Fintiri assured the people of Adamawa that his administration is working to raise the diagnostic capacity of the state through a request for the establishment of a testing unit at the Federal Medical Centre Yola, where the requisite equipment and trained personnel are available.

He said, the Adamawa State government was in contact with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and the state had set up a situation room where the public would be briefed on the developments on the pandemic.

However as work resumes on Wednesday, the streets of Yola, the Adamawa state capital, shows flagarant disregard for every preventive measure against the novel coronavirus.

Social distancing caution are completely thrown to the winds, as markets, banks maintain crowded queues.

Tricycle operators, expected to transport only two passengers at a time, were seen doing business as usual.