The Nasarawa Government on Friday debunked insinuations that its COVID-19 Task Force was inactive, due to the relaxation of restrictions earlier imposed to curtail the spread of the disease in the state.
Mr Dogo Shammah, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.
Shammah said the task force headed by the Deputy Gov., Dr Emmanuel Akabe, was still active and working, to ensure that residents complied with the safety measures introduced by the state government.
NAN reports that the state government had recently approved the reopening of worship centres, lifted the ban on operations of motorcycles and tricycles and also reopened the markets.
Mr Mukaila Ola, a Lafia resident, said he thought that with the relaxation of the restrictions, people were free to resume their normal activities like there were before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Shammah warned that the relaxation of some of the restrictions was not a licence for residents to act recklessly and ignore the safety measures put in place by the state government.
He said the state task force on COVID-19 was still active and going round the state to ensure compliance with government’s directives on the pandemic.
According to the commissioner, the task force has been sensitising people on physical distancing, hand washing and other safety protocols on the the disease.
“The task force is still in force, though the one year celebrations of this administration slowed down activities such as the consistent meetings and appraisal of the pandemic in the state,” he said.
Shammah pointed out that with the rising number of cases in the state, the COVID-19 task force still had a lot of work to do in order to contain its spread.
He urged residents to ignore the insinuations that the task force was no longer active and living up to its mandate.
“The task force will continue to enlighten and support our people because their health and safety are very important.
“The state government, under the leadership of Gov. Abdullahi Sule, will never relent on issues of the health and wellbeing of our people,” he said.
Shammah said that the state government had procured and taken delivery of some equipment to safeguard the lives of residents, adding that the testing centre for COVID-19 in the state would soon begin operation.
“The task force is at the centre of all these developments, which are aimed at easing the inconvenience residents face concerning the virus.
“Aside the testing centre, all other necessities are in place in the state,” he said.
