The Gombe State Government has given face masks to the leadership of the Muslim Community for onward distribution to worshippers on Eid-Grounds during the Eid-el-Kabir Prayers across the state to control the spread of Covid-19.
The Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Covid-19 Coordinating Committee, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, said the move became necessary to safeguard the lives of worshippers during the Eid-el-Kabir Prayers, following the confirmation of the Delta Variant of the Coronavirus and the rising number of infections in some states in Nigeria.
The Deputy Governor handed over the facemasks to the Secretary of the Maja’atul Nasir Islam, JNI, Mallam Saleh Danburam and the Deputy Leader of the Izala Sect in Gombe, Sheik Ali Bara.
The Commissioner of health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, said ”those to distribute the facemasks at the various Eid Grounds were the volunteer First Aid workers, who had already been trained on how to control the crowd on prayer grounds.”
Dr. Jatau said ”because the Eid-el-Kabir Celebrations were carried out in congregations that gather to offer supplications to the Almighty Allah, urged the public to the potential for the widespread of the Covid-19 Virus during the period.”
He stated that all laid down rules for the prevention of the spread of the Covid-19 virus should be observed during the celebration, such as physical distancing, proper use of the facemasks, frequent hand hygiene, as well as minimizing indoor and large gatherings.
The Gombe State Deputy Governor allayed the fears of those who were skeptical about taking the Covid-19 vaccine, saying it is safe and remain the best preventive method against Covid-19.
He advised the public to visit the vaccination sites closest to them while encouraging those with symptoms like fever, cough, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing to get tested.
Dr. Jatau also announced the successful and effective control of the sporadic cases of Cholera infection in some parts of the state.
He said the containment was successful through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC and WHO recommended protocol, while appealing to the Gombe State Residents to use and safe and potable water hygienically prepared foods and report any symptoms of diarrhea to the nearest health facility.
He equally gave the assurances that the 18 Rapid Response Teams in the state were ever on the standby to respond to suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 and other disease outbreaks in the state.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
