Taraba laments impact of porous boarders in fight against coronavirus

He stated this in Jalingo while briefing newsmen shortly after the committee’s meeting.

” Worried by the increasing rate  of COVID-19 cases in Kano, Taraba state technical committee on COVID-19 has expressed fear over the continuous interstate trade between traders in the state and suppliers in Kano despite the restriction on interstate movement.”

 He also expressed his displeasure with the enforcement of the governor’s directive by security agencies.

According to him, in  the entire North, Kano has the highest number of recorded COVID-19 cases and we are worried because traders here are still going to Kano to bring in goods.

“We know there is interstate restriction on movement but we wonder how these people still manage to go to Kano and come back.

He appealed  to the people to please adhere to the precautions and stop travelling.

“We do not have any case of COVID-19 currently and we are not praying to have one. So everybody must be responsible.”

On the 65 Adamawa indigenes intercepted in the State last week  after moving from Ogun to Jalingo, Vakkai said they have been moved to an isolation centre in Demsa local government area of Adamawa state after consultation with Adamawa state government.

On the mode at which taxi drivers in Jalingo metropolis whom do not adhere to the rules of limit carrying more than three persons, the Commissioner said that the committee has discous possible ways to contain the spread of the disease to be communicated to the public soon.

He disclosed that security would be strengthened in boarder areas of Ussa, Sardauna and Takum Local Governments which all share boundaries with the Republic of Cameron.

He called on Tarabans to take responsibility by way of washing their hands with soap and water regularly, avoid handshaking, hugging, kissing and maintaining social distance all aimed at complimenting government efforts to contain the spread of the COVID 19.

In another development, Access Bank Plc has pledged to provide a one hundred bed capacity isolation centre and hand Sanitizers worth over N2 million to the state government by the Pharmacistical Society of Nigeria (PSN).

Taraba Commissioner for Health Dr Innocent Vakkai  while receiving the items,  disclosed that the centre is to be sited at the NYSC orientation camp at Sibre.

Vakkai said that the government was worried that despite the total lockdown of the state borders, there is still a constant influx of persons from other parts of the country into the state, a situation he blamed on the “laxity of security agencies manning the borders.”

Taraba State chairman of PSN Samaila Boyi, while making the presentation of hand sanitisers to the state’s technical committee on COVID-19, in Jalingo, said that the high-quality sanitisers were produced and packaged in the state to mitigate the spread of fake sanitisers, urging the people to always use accredited pharmacies to source for their sanitisers.

Boyi said that the gesture was a call to duty that had to be done against all odds.

“Today, we are donating hand sanitisers worth over two million naira to the state government. This is a duty call for us. It is paramount for us to respond to the challenge of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“We know that the government cannot do it all. That is why we have decided to take up this challenge to continue sensitisation and precautionary measures in the hope that no case comes over. Let me use this opportunity to urge the people that they should not relax just because we have not recorded any case yet. It is better to be active and take to the orders of government. Let me also join others to urge Nigerians to avoid taking things indiscriminately,” – he added.