COVID-19: Akwa-Ibom govt to opens markets three days weekly, makes use of face mask compulsory

• COVID-19: One death, three new cases confirmed in Akwa Ibom
• Akwa-Ibom budget delayed cause them missed out of SFTAS N43.4bn

The governor of Akwa Ibom state Governor Udom Emmanuel has relaxed the closure of markets in the state for three days in a week.

These was announced by the governor in a state-wide broadcast on Saturday morning, that a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed all over the state from 8 pm to 6 am effective Monday, May 4th, 2020.

“Markets will be opened three times a week, (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays) between 10 am to 4 pm to enable people to stock up their supplies. Face masks must be worn, and social distancing must be observed by all.

“Farmers will be allowed to carry out their tasks and freely transport their food items while wearing facemasks and not be more than three people in any given public transport vehicle. Agricultural produce will be allowed free and easy movement across the State and the use of facemasks must be enforced

“The ban on religious gatherings, hospitality services, social gatherings, parties, funerals, and concerts remain in effect until further notice, while all plazas and recreational centres are to remain closed”.

“All schools will remain closed until further notice. However, our School on Radio programme on AKBC Radio which has been hugely welcomed and popular will continue to address the instructional and teaching needs of our students until we are able to reopen schools

“Non-essential inter-State movements remain prohibited except those involving agricultural produce or medical personnel and equipment.

“All passengers using public transport must make use of the face mask. Tricycles must not carry more than three passengers. Taxis must carry a maximum of three persons (One in front and two behind), and buses must not carry more than two persons per row.

“All public transport operators must provide hand sanitizers in their vehicles. Also, remember that the ban on commercial motorcycles within the precincts of Uyo capital city is still in effect.

Governor Emmanuel stressed that to help reopen our economy and get the machinery of governance moving again, a phased resumption of duties would come into effect.

“All Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries should work out modalities that will get the staff of their respective Ministries to return to work in batches.

They should ensure that not more than 30 per cent of the workforce of each Ministry, Department, and Agency is at work at any given time. All workers should observe social distancing and personal hygiene requirements including the compulsory use of face mask”, he advised.

He also, thanked God for those patients that recovered from the deadly COVID-19 disease and expressed the optimism that with the continued excellent work of the healthcare professionals and the strict adherence of the preventive measures especially social distancing and personal hygiene the pandemic would be effectively contained.

COVID-19: One death, three new cases confirmed in Akwa Ibom

Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom State has recorded three new cases of covid-19 and one death.

 “The last laboratory test we conducted on 44 suspected cases, three persons were confirmed positive, while we lost one. The patient we lost was a 68-year-old woman who was transferred to the centre totally unconscious and with multiple serious long outstanding co-morbidities”.

However, the secretary to the state government, Mr Emmanuel Ekuwem announced the release of palliatives to the citizenry who have been forced to stay at home and is regularly updating the people to keep them informed. These efforts have begun yielding fruits as the state recently announced the treatment and release of three covid-19 patients out of only six so far recorded in the state.

Akwa-Ibom budget delayed cause them missed out of SFTAS N43.4bn

The Governor of Akwa Ibom Udom Emmanuel has said that the state missed out in the N43.4billion World Bank Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme for result-fund recently shared to 24 states by the federal government due to delayed passage of the 2019 budget.

The governor disclosed this during inauguration of the Post COVID-19 Economic Reconstruction Committee at the weekend in Uyo explained how three state Lawmakers who had defected to the All Progressives Congress, (APC) schemed to take over the leadership of the state House of Assembly.

He said that the SFTAS had required that only states which passed their year’s budget early enough were qualified to benefit from the grant and urged concerned members of the public to make or in-depth findings on the matter rather than mislead the people with erroneous information.

Addressing the Post Covid-19 Economic Reconstruction Committee chaired by Prof. Akpan Hogan Ekpo, a former Vice-Chancellor, University of Uyo, Emmanuel said there need to chat new ways to boost the economy of the state as the Covid-19 pandemic had seriously affected the price of crude oil in the global market. Noting that the Committee has one month to submit its report to him, Emmanuel added “This committee will develop sensitive Policies that will lead to identifying low hanging fruits, stability, and prosperity for all.

The committee will also state measurable sources indicators of sustainable socio-economic growth and development of Akwa Ibom state with little or no reliance on revenue from oil”

“The Committee is to identify and explore ways and means of sourcing funds and attracting investment partners with comfortable terms, locally, nationally, and internationally in the realization of every identifiable revenue-generating project.”

The committee will also state the frame or gestation of each of the income generation projects and establish the interconnectedness apart from providing input materials from one to another in the value chains of each of the projects”, he concluded.