COVID-19: Wearing of face mask now compulsory in Kano, violators risk going to jail – Ganduje

Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has declared wearing of face masks as compulsory for all residents, warning that any person found violating the order would be prosecuted in the state.

The governor made the declaration on Sunday at a media briefing on COVID-19 updates in the state.

Mr Ganduje stated that the state government had established 10 mobile courts to punish violators of lockdown orders, noting that the directives were aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in the state.

“We are not doing this arbitrarily. We are doing it for our own good. This disease has become community transmitted, so the only thing to break the chain of the transmission is to remain at home, avoid social gatherings and wear face masks as well as strict adherence to the protocols of COVID-19,” he said.

The governor also stated that the state government would provide sufficient face masks for the residents at no cost, adding that local tailors would also be contracted to produce enough for the people.

Giving update on the situation of the virus in Kano, the Coordinator, Technical Response Team on COVID-19, Dr. Tijjani Hussein, said that no fewer than 47 health workers in the state were confirmed to be infected by the virus since the index case was recorded in the state on April 10.

He explained that on Saturday, the committee did not record any case of COVID-19 among health workers in the state, noting that the feat was achieved following the state government’s prompt actions to ensure that such did not occur again.

Mr Hussein added that so far in Kano, 576 confirmed cases had been recorded after recording 29 new cases on Saturday, adding that out of the total number of the confirmed cases, 32 were so far discharged.

“Out of the total number we recorded here in Kano, we recorded three deaths on Saturday, making the total number of deaths recorded to be 21.

“We have also recorded 84 new suspected cases of the COVID-19 in Kano, making the total number of the suspected cases to be 1,820,” he said.

According to Mr Hussain, the centre had on Saturday received 47 calls, and all the calls were investigated, saying that so far they have received 1,313 calls.null

He explained that “from Saturday to now, we have collected 84 samples, out of which 29 cases were confirmed, and so far we have collected 2072 samples.”

Mr Hussein added that as part of the state government effort to curb the spread of the pandemic, over 1,000 frontline health workers are undergoing special training in the state.

He further appealed to the general public to adhere to the medical experts’ advice on preventive measures, especially the physical distancing, use of face masks, and abiding by the lockdown order.