By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Ebonyi State government has ordered all religious bodies in the state not to exceed two hours during their services.
The measure followed the resurgence of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
While announcing this on Friday, Governor David Umahi, said that aside the restriction of religious worship, all large gatherings were also banned in the state.
The governor also directed the state Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe, and the State COVID-19 team to ensure massive sensitization and public enlightenment campaign to get the people to embrace the COVID-19 protocols.
According to him, the measure would help the state not to record any case in the second wave of the pandemic.
“We must go back to observe all the protocols of COVID-19 enunciated by the Presidential Taskforce. I have directed that Church Services should not last more than two hours. I have also directed that we should step up our testing before the end of January.
“We must have to accomplish the target of the Presidential Taskforce by testing at least 450 persons per local government. I have suspended large gathering of people in Ebonyi State.
“We have returned to the wearing of facemasks in all public places and in our homes.
“During this Christmas, I am appealing that we curtail our movements. The initial night of praise will no longer hold in the state, the usual end of year party will not hold; rather we are not aggregated so that we have smaller gathering that we can control”, he said.
The governor later performed the official handing over ceremony of a 300 bed capacity isolation centre built by his administration to the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has nominated the governor as COVID-19 National Champion.
The nomination was announced in a letter to the governor by the National Coordinator of the Task Force, Dr Sani Aliyu.
“I have the honour to formally notify His Excellency that the Risk Communication and Community Engagement and the Government Relations Pillars of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 have nominated you as the COVID-19 Champion,” Aliyu stated.
He said that the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Pillar was saddled with the responsibility of public sensitization on multi-media platforms and community mobilization against COVID-19.
According to him, the aim was principally to promote behaviour change among the people through information sharing and engagement that ensure decision making for compliance towards prevention and containment of COVID-19.
Aliyu explained to the governor that the Government Relations Pillar works through the Nigeria Governors Forum and serves as the linkage among the three tiers of government.
He noted that as the COVID-19 Champion, the Governor, would be expected to serve as the driver for community mobilization and public awareness on the various aspects relating to COVID-19 prevention and containment, especially at the community level.
“You are also expected to leverage on your influence among your colleagues in the Nigeria Governors Forum and with the traditional and religious leaders as well as the media and development partners to ensure that the entire country is mobilized against COVID-19”, Aliyu said.
He noted that the task before the Governor as the Covid-19 Champion is herculean but expressed hope that the governor can surmount them.
Aliyu noted that with Umahi’s antecedents especially in the fight against COVID-19 in Ebonyi State and also as a survivor of the virus, he would provide the leadership and the required support to accomplish the task even after the exit of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
The state was one of the first to get a COVID-19 testing centre and was also one of the first states to build and equip isolation centres among other pro-active steps that ensured the state fought the virus to a standstill.
