Gombe State governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has inaugurated a 21-member state task force to review and monitor coronavirus pandemic.
The task force is to be headed by a renowned Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Professor Idris Mohammed.
While inaugurating the committee at Council Chambers of the Government House, on Monday, Gombe State governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said that the constitution of the task force became necessary as part of preventive measures to curtail the dreaded global pandemic from spreading in the state.
The governor gave the committee 10 points terms of reference including; Assessing the situation in the state in terms of the risk of the outbreak occurrence and design a response plan to prevent, contain and mitigate the consequences of such outbreak and Identify a suitable isolation centre(s), equip such centre(s) with required equipment including ventilators.
Ensure the availability of necessary consumables and other medical supplies critical for the management of COVID-19 outbreak in the state.
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Other things the Taskforce will do is to facilitate the training of relevant health care workers in the state on the management and containment of COVID-19, design and implement risk communication strategies including robust community engagement, sensitisation and mobilisation of the general public and community leaders to minimise the impact of the outbreak.
It will then recommend to the government other measures needed to strengthen the state’s health system capacity to respond effectively and adequately to emergency situations in the future and provide a weekly update and report to the executive governor and the executive council on the situation.
Inuwa Yahaya charged the committee not to spare any effort towards combating the pandemic should the virus be reported in the state.
In his response, the task force chairman, Prof Idris Mohammed, thanked the governor for exhibiting courage in setting up the committee despite the fact that there is no reported case of the virus in the state.
Idris Mohammed also said that the world is facing a global health emergency of unprecedented proportion which demands the buy-in of all and sundry to mitigate its spread.
He added that there is no place or time to play politics with COVID-19, assuring the governor that the committee will deliver on its mandate.
The state governor also convened an emergency executive council meeting, where he charged cabinet members to brace up and take all necessary measures to combat the dreaded disease as contained in a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the governor.
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