Covid-19: Kano Releases Guidelines for Easing of Lockdown

* Eid, Jumaat prayers to observe social distancing

By Ibrahim Shuaibu

As a way of fine-tuning the recently extended lockdown in Kano State by the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 for another two weeks, the state government has released operational guidelines for the controlled easing of the pandemic-induced restriction.

The state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who made the revelation in a statement Tuesday morning, said government is fully aware of the difficult but necessary hardship people have to pass through which informed the need for controlled enforcement.

He said after series of meetings with health experts, the Ulama and other stakeholders, the state government adopted some measures that will further bring relief to the populace, with the partial lifting of the lockdown on three days — Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays — between 10:00am and 2:00pm with a total relief of 12 hours per week as earlier recommended by the Presidential Taskforce.

Garba said Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has directed the state Hisbah Board to hold meetings with Imams and deploy its personnel in Jumu’at mosques Friday across the state to ensure that worshippers comply with personal hygiene through maintaining social distancing, hand washing with soap, use of hand sanitizers and masks.

The commissioner also said that government considers it convenient to allow the conduct of Eid prayers on the Sallah day in all the five Emirates in the state during which restriction of movement has been lifted from 6:00am to 2:00pm under strict observance of safety and prevention protocols.

He, however, said that there will be no Sallah festivities in all the Emirates including the visit to Gidan Shettima, Hawan Daushe, Hawan Nassarawa and Hawan Dorayi in Kano and all other similar traditional Sallah celebrations.

The statement also announced the formation of a committee on the distribution of masks and sanitation materials to Jumu’at mosques to be chaired by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim Getso.

Other members of the committee are Commissioners for Local Government, Religious Affairs Prof. Ibrahim Mu’azzam Maibushra; and that of Information, Prof. Muhammad Tabi’u; Dr. Awwalu Kawu, Mr. Sa’idu Muhammad, Sarkin Yarabawa, Oba Abdullahi Salihu Olowo, Dr. Bala Muhammad, state ALGON Chairman, Managing Directors of REMASAB and KAROTA, Commander General, Hisbah Board and its Chairman, Sheikh Shehi Maihula.

The ethnic nationalities in the state will also constitute a similar committee to ensure the distribution of sanitation materials and the observance of Covid-19 protocol in their various churches.