By CHUKWUEMEKA OPARA

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi on Thursday directed the establishment of task forces across the state to check increase in prices of goods and services occasioned by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Dr Kenneth Ugbala, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) disclosed this in Abakaliki while briefing newsmen after the governor’s meeting with local government chairmen, development centre coordinators among others involved in the fight against the pandemic.

The SSG said that the governor directed local government chairmen to collaborate with development centre coordinators, Ministry of Border and Internal Security to inaugurate such taskforces.

“The taskforces are to ensure that prices of goods and services remain to avoid creating more hardship on the people.

Ugbala explained that the governor was dismayed over such hikes, especially with the news that palliatives were about to be shared to the people.

“Traders have started increasing prices of goods such as foodstuff while services such as transportation, mining among others have also been increased.

“People want to take advantage of this moment to make things difficult for others and the stress presently being experienced should not be increased,” he said.

The SSG said the governor also directed that security around the state boundaries should be tightened to ensure that they remained closed.

He also charged those involved in securing the borders to sustain the initial resilience shown at the commencement of the operation as prevention is the best way to prevent the virus from entering the state.

Ugbala noted that the governor observed that the virus’s infection rate in communities had increased as evidenced in the recent 34 new cases reported in the country.

He, therefore, urged all stakeholders to increase their house to house campaign in communities, to ensure that people in the rural areas know about the dangers of this disease.

“The stakeholders are to ensure that all precautionary measures are implemented especially in the communities to ensure that the state remains free of the pandemic,” he said. (NAN)