) The Niger state government on Tuesday said that it had deployed outside broadcasting vans and town criers to sensitise the public against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the state.
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the state Commissioner for Information made this known when he led the state COVID-19 task force to Minna main market.
“The Niger state government has arranged for outside broadcasting vans and town criers to sensitise our people more against the COVID-19 disease.
“Although we will take the campaign to other places our main focus now is the markets, urban and rural areas,” he said.
Idris said that the sensitisation has gone beyond town hall meetings with the people, hence the need to reach them wherever they are.
He said that government was concerned about the public observing social distancing and maintaining personal and public hygiene.
“We want to see how government can help the market leaders to make traders comply with social distancing and maintain personal and public hygiene.
“I will rate the level of compliance in Niger state to be 60 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that due to restriction of movement, the markets across the state would now operate between 8am and 2pm daily against the normal operating hours of 8am to 6pm daily.
Earlier, Alhaji Ado Garba, the Market Chief, said that the leadership of the market has provided containers, water, soap and hand sanitisers at the 22 gates of the market.
“We have provided 60 big buckets with water, soap and hand sanitisers.
“This is to make sure that any person entering the market will wash his hands, in order to contain the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
Garba said that the leadership of the market was also encouraging traders to replicate same at their shops to prevent the spread of the disease.
The market official said that the traders have been made to comply with the government order concerning the COVID-19, adding that defaulting trader would be made to pay fines. (NAN)