Gombe State Government has sought for the commitment of people of the state on the need to intensify the practice of social distancing and other preventive protocols as pre-condition for the reopening of worship centres across the state after two months of lockdown necessitated by the need to curtail community spread of the COVID-19 infection.
The move by the government is Following persistent calls for worship centres to reopen for congregational prayers during a meeting by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya with religious leaders in the state, where he requested for their commitment to strict observance of social distancing and other preventive protocols as a pre-condition to lift the ban on congregations.
The Governor, while addressing religious leaders from the two major faiths of Islam and Christianity in the state, said that the move to seek for the counsel of the religious leaders on social distancing at places of worship was in furtherance of his administration’s commitment to expanding the frontiers of inclusiveness and democratic practice.
He said that his administration’s decision to ban all social, cultural and religious gatherings in the state was to prevent community spreading of Coronavirus and not to deny anyone from performing their prayers at mosques or churches.
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While reeling out some of his administration’s modest efforts to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, Inuwa Yahaya said that his government had before the index cases in Gombe, ordered the closure of all entries into the State.
This, the Governor said was in addition to the provision of a 150 capacity bed isolation Centre in Kwadon and another 50-bed isolation centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.
He added that his administration has also established an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) fully equipped with Ventilators, Oxygen concentrators and other facilities for treatment of severe COVID-19 cases and also paid for the supply of a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine for the testing of individuals perceived to be carrying COVID-19.
Gombe Governor also said that he had earlier resisted the imposition of total lockdown in the state and opted for a dusk to dawn curfew instead in order not to add to the economic hardship already being felt by the citizenry.
He said that as Governor of Gombe State he has taken an oath to protect the lives, property and dignity of the people, describing steps so far taken by his administration to contain the Coronavirus as rational and for the collective good and overall interest of the people.
Meanwhile, no position was taken at the parley due to time constraints, but the government had asked the religious leaders to take a collective stand, in collaboration with the security agencies and relevant officials on the matter and quickly give feedback to enable the government to announce an agreed position.
A statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the Governor contained that as soon as all the parties agreed on modalities to be adopted on the mater another stakeholder meeting will be called to review the situation and take a stand that will be beneficial to all.
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