From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
Worried by the rising cases of COVID-19 with the coming of second wave of the pandemic, Kano state government has said that it will soon launch a special taskforce, tagged COVID-19 Marshals to enforce compliance to safety and protective protocols of the virus.
The state, as at Saturday, January 22nd, has 325 patients currently on admission, while the death toll of the disease had risen to 73, as 19 deaths were recorded between December last year and January, 2021.
Based on these variables, the state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje expressed worry that the virus had returned tougher, assuring that the government would be tougher to start it out.
At a meeting with media practitioners on Saturday, held at the government house, Ganduje therefore disclosed that his administration would soon launched the COVID-19 Marshals, comprising of 1,000 youths to engage in persuasion and enforcement of strict adherence to the protocols.
He said the marshals would work in tandem with various security agents across the state to ensure that the protocols are being observed effectively.
“We have found ourselves where we have to educate and inform our people on the need to strictly observe all COVID-19 protocols.
“ COVID-19 is a reality and it is a fight that we must succeed and I believe we are succeeding. The vehicle of transmission is the proximity between one person and another.
“ The major challenge we are facing is the non-compliance of the COVID-19 Protocols by members of the public. We have engaged in public enlightenment, but government must take formal measures, using security agencies and the COVID-19 Marshals to ensure full compliance of all the Protocols.
“These marshals are 1,000 youths, to work closely with security agents, such as Police, army, DSS, NSCDC, Immigration, customs, vigilante, Hisbah, KAROTA and NGOs to ensure full compliance to protocols in order to free this state from this pandemic,” Ganduje said.
The governor also stated that mobile courts would be reintroduced to punish whoever found flaunting the COVID-19 protocols without fear or favour.
Ganduje further stated that the state government would adopt the same approach used in fighting polio to combat COVID-19 in the state.
