By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ebonyi State Government has directed that all religious worship centres must be restricted to a maximum period of two hours. This follows the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The State Governor, David Umahi, who announced this on Friday, said the decision followed the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.

He noted that apart from the restriction of religious worship, all large gathering are also banned in the state.

The Ebonyi State Governor also directed the State Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe, and the State COVID-19 team to ensure massive sensitisation and public enlightenment campaign to get the people to embrace the COVID-19 protocols.

He said this would help the state not to record any case in the second wave of the pandemic.

“We must go back to observe all the protocols of COVID-19 enunciated by the Presidential Taskforce. I have directed that Church Services should not last more than 2 hours. I have also directed that we should step up our testing before the end of January.

“We must have to accomplish the target of the Presidential Taskforce by testing at least 450 persons per Local Government. I have suspended large gathering of people in Ebonyi State. We have returned to the wearing of facemasks in all public places and in our homes.

“During this Christmas, I am appealing that we curtail our movements. The initial night of praise will no longer hold in the state, the usual end of year party will not hold rather we are not aggregated so that we have smaller gathering that we can control,” he said.

The governor later performed the official handing over ceremony of a 300 bed capacity isolation center built by his administration to the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital.

Meanwhile, the presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has nominated the governor as COVID-19 National Champion.

The nomination was announced in a letter to the governor by the National Coordinator of the Task Force, Dr Sani Aliyu.

“I have the honour to formally notify His Excellency that the Risk Communication and Community Engagement and the Government Relations Pillars of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 have nominated you as the COVID-19 Champion,” Mr. Aliyu wrote.

He said the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Pillar is saddled with the responsibility of public sensitisation on multi-media platforms and community mobilization against COVID-19.

According to him, the aim is principally to promote behaviour change among the people through information sharing and engagement that ensure decision making for compliance towards prevention and containment of COVID-19.

Mr. Aliyu informed the governor that the Government Relations Pillar works through the Nigeria Governors Forum and serves as the linkage among the three tiers of government.

He noted that as the COVID-19 Champion, the Governor will be expected to serve as the driver for community mobilisation and public awareness on the various aspects relating to COVID-19 prevention and containment, especially at the community level.

“You are also expected to leverage on your influence among your colleagues in the Nigeria Governors Forum and with the traditional and religious leaders as well as the media and development partners to ensure that the entire country is mobilised against COVID-19,” Aliyu said.

He noted that the task before the Governor as the Covid-19 Champion is herculean but expressed hope that the governor can surmount them.

Aliyu noted that with Mr. Umahi’s antecedents especially in the fight against COVID-19 in Ebonyi State and also as a survivor of the virus, he will provide the needed leadership and the required support to accomplish the task even after the exit of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The nomination is the latest in the retinue of accolades and plaudits the governor has earned for his pro-active actions and leadership in the state since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

The state was one of the first states to get a COVID-19 testing centre and was also one of the first states to build and equip isolation centres among other pro-active steps that ensured the state fought the virus to a standstill.

The governor this week commenced a second round of palliative distribution meant to cushion the effects of the pandemic especially as the country enters into recession.

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