El-Rufai opens up Kaduna for business, worship

Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai has opened up the state after 75 days of partial lockdown, following the invocation of the Quarantine Act and the Kaduna State Public Health Law, to impose the Quarantine Regulations on March 26.

In a broadcast yesterday, the governor paid tribute to the good people of Kaduna for their sacrifices in the last two and half months as containment measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were implemented.

The governor said that as from June 10, 2020, the Quarantine Order would be amended to permit a significant re-opening of the state, especially businesses and places of worship.

El-Rufai, however, said that schools and markets would remain closed because “at this stage of COVID-19 containment, it is still considered unsafe for markets and schools to re-open.”

He promised that government would keep engaging with relevant stakeholders on the matter, to determine the appropriate timing and conditions.

“Businesses can re-open, subject to the provision of thermometers for temperature checks, sanitisers or hand washing equipment as well as physical distancing measures within all facilities. Working hours will be 9am to 3pm daily.

“Church services are allowed only on Sundays and mosques are allowed to conduct only Friday Jumaat services, for the time being, subject to compliance with the safety stipulations above,” he said.

Maintaining that transport operators must reduce capacity to not more than two passengers per row and not more than 50 per cent of capacity, the governor said the ban on intra-state travel had been lifted, but that government officials would continue to control state boundaries to reduce unauthorised travels.