COVID-19: Kaduna govt directs civil servants to work from home

Kaduna state Government has directed all civil servants below Grade Level 14 to work from home starting from Monday, 21st December 2020.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye  on Sunday, the government said that the Head of Service will issue service-wide updates as required.

Adekeye explained that the Governor Nasir El-Rufai has signed and authorised new regulations to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Kaduna state with effect from Monday.

According to him, ‘’it is mandatory to wear facemasks outside the house. Organisations and individuals that allow people into their premises have the responsibility to enforce the ‘no mask, no entry mandate.’ Facemasks should be worn to cover both the nose and mouth.’’

The statement which prohibits large gatherings, also mandated ‘’businesses must provide thermometers for temperature checks, and sanitisers or hand-washing equipment and physical distancing measures within all facilities.’’

‘’Places of worship must enforce facemasks, provide sanitisers and ensure physical distancing. The number of worshippers will be capped. Congregational worship should not exceed one hour,’’ Adekeye added.

The Special Adviser further warned that ‘’transport operators must reduce capacity to not more than two passengers per row and not more than 50% of capacity.’’

‘’Supermarkets and providers of personal services such as hair dressing and barbing salons can remain open, but service providers and customers must use facemasks and limit the number of persons they admit and serve at any time,’’ he added.

The statement reiterated that ‘’hotels can remain open, but their restaurants and bars can offer only room service. Event centres, Night clubs, gyms and bars and lounges are to close until further notice.’’

‘’Restaurants are restricted to takeaway services only. All schools will remain closed until it is deemed safe to reopen,’’ Adekeye further said.

‘’The state government calls for collective action with citizens to curb the infections without having to resort to extraordinary measures like a lockdown. The government believes that mass compliance with Covid-19 prevention protocols should suffice to help reduce the rate of infections,’’ he said.

According to Adekeye,  Covid-19 prevention measures are outlined in the FORWARD campaign, which entails the  mandatory to wear facemasks when outside the house; observing physical distancing and maintaining  a proper respiratory hygiene.

Other components of the FORWARD campaign include washing  hands with soap under running water  or using hand sanitizers, avoiding large gatherings and crowded spaces as well as remaining  indoors when there is no need to be outdoors; and  eating  balanced meals to boost immunity.

The statement recalled that ‘’various stakeholders, including religious leaders, businesses, transporters and market unions, made commitments for continued compliance with Covid-19 protocols prior to the easing of the first lockdown in June 2020.’’

The Special Adviser pointed out that the  state government is counting on the cooperation of our citizens in a collective effort to stop Covid-19.

‘’Kaduna State Government appeals for collective compliance with these measures to enable the state to tackle the new wave of Covid-19 infections while allowing citizens to safely continue the pursuit of livelihoods.

‘’The state government taskforce and other agencies will help enforce these regulations. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these measures depends on the exercise of personal responsibility and voluntary compliance with the protocols,’’ he said.