Plateau Governor Shuts Down Markets, Orders Civil Servants To Work From Home

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has directed workers from grade level one to 12 in the state to start working from home and that markets should be shut down.

The order takes effect from Wednesday, March 25.

The decision was made after an emergency meeting of the state executive council as part of measures to prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

The Governor said, “With effect from Wednesday 25th March 2020, all public servants in Plateau State from Grade levels 12 and below are to work from home for the next 30 days.

“Only workers offering essential services such as security, health, media, street cleaners, and water supply and energy are exempted from this directive.

“In view of the crowds associated with markets, the government is directing all markets to close effective 25th March 2020. Only traders selling food items, pharmaceuticals and cooking gas are to remain open.

“In addition, all street trading, street hawking, and begging are prohibited. The weekly Sunday markets at Ahmadu Bello Way, Bukuru and environs are hereby banned,” the governor said.

Also, social joints, nightclubs, drinking parlours are to also close effective Wednesday 25th March 2020, while restaurants were advised to prepare takeaway food for their customers to avoid crowding.

Motor parks are to capture and keep data including contacts of all inbound and outbound passengers as well as adhere strictly to social distancing and mass gathering prohibition order as well as hygiene regulations.

Governor Lalong added that all entry points into Plateau State by land and air would be subjected to preliminary tests.

The governor also warned that anyone found violating these orders should be arrested as security agencies have been directed to begin enforcement of the orders.

“Should the situation continue this way, we shall not hesitate to impose a complete lockdown in order to save the lives of our people,” he said.