Borno coronavirus response team locks down state

COVID-19 response team of Borno State has locked down the state, closing its borders with Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe states, as well as Niger Republic and Cameroon.

The lockdown and border closure, which take effect from April 13 by 6a.m., are to contain the influx of coronavirus disease into the state through the six entry points.

The deputy governor, Alhaji Umar Kadafur, who doubles as the chairman of the team, stated on Sunday in Maiduguri that movement of essential goods and persons on essential duty would be allowed.

“Movements in and out of Borno are completely restricted to prevent outbreak and spread of the deadly virus.

“The border between Borno and Yobe states would be shut down completely; only persons on essential duty and vehicles conveying food items, petrol, drugs and other essential commodities would be allowed into the state.

“This painstaking decision became imperative as part of measures to prevent spread of the virus in our dear state, following the discovery of suspected cases in some northern states.”

For the ongoing lockdown to be effective, especially among the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Project Alert on Violence Against Women has urged governments, faith-based and other non-governmental organisations to provide sustainable palliatives.

The founder and executive director, Mrs. Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, in a WhatsApp chat yesterday, stressed that “palliative should be going side by side with the lockdown.”

She suggested that the lockdown should be well thought of and planned in such a way that the people, especially the IDPs, would not be forced out of their camps in search of foods and other needs.

Effah-Chukwuma agreed that the lockdown was necessary for the prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus, but expressed sadness that the authorities, especially in Taraba State, were not doing much to extend the much needed helping hands to the IDPs.

Sad that the people displaced by terrorists were being locked down because of COVID-19, she urged government to give out palliative in a sustainable manner “within a clear time frame.”

Noting that her organisation was working round the clock to address the ills that might arise from the restrictions, she affirmed that a lot of non-governmental organisations were as well leaving no stone unturned to provide relevant information to the public on how to halt the spread of the virus.

Project Alert on Violence Against Women is an NGO that promotes and protects the rights of women and girls, especially the right to a life free of violence, harassment and discrimination.