Zulum orders closure of Borno schools to prevent COVID-19

Date:

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state, has inaugurated a
high-powered response committee on prevention and control of
coronavirus.
Zulum, also orders the closure of all public and private schools within a week.
While inaugurating committee on Friday at Musa Usman Secretariat
complex, Maiduguri, he said: “The committee members; are to swap into
action immediately, by tightening Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
camps across the state.
“They are also to work and liaise with principals of Schools and
Colleges to close them within a week.”
The inauguration, according to him, was the implementation of
technical COVID-19 response plan adopted by multi-Stakeholder group of
UN agencies, Federal establishments and affected ministries,
departments and agencies (MDAs).
He said the stakeholders group adopted a response plan; after a
critical review of preparedness to the coronavirus outbreak and
prevention.
The committee, led by Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur, is to implement
the adopted response plan along with senior officials of the World
Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UN-OCHA, IOM, ICRC,
international Non-Governmental Organizations (iNGOs) involved in
humanitarian interventions.
Representatives of the Maiduguri International Airport, Nigerian
Immigration Service, Borno State Emergency Management Agency and
Commissioners of education, higher education, information, transport,
finance, religious affairs and local government and emirate affairs
are also to implement the response plan against COVID-19.
The committee has also two special advisers on sustainable
development, partnerships and humanitarian affairs and that of public
relations and strategy, Isa Gusau.
Zulum therefore, tasked them to ensure that concrete measures, are
immediately deployed to tighten access to IDP camps.
“A single case of coronavirus could trigger a wild fire effect with
adverse consequences in camps and communities,” he said.
He tasked the commissioner of education and the chairman of the state
universal education to reschedule academic calendar.
He noted that schools can close within a week; instead of two weeks
according to the academic calendar.
According to him; “If we are to close schools, what do we do with IDP
camps which are far less organized than schools?
“I am aware that our schools have two weeks to close but we should
change the calendar and close in a week.
“We must take serious measures in all schools and more importantly in
our IDP camps and in land border communities where people can come
into Nigeria through some of our local government areas.”

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