Abia govt orders closure of borders over coronavirus

The Abia State government Saturday ordered the closure of all land borders as part of efforts to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu, disclosed this in a statement in Umuahia.

He said the decision had become necessary following the outbreak of COVID-19 in some parts of the country.

The commissioner said the directive on the border closure would take effect from 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.

According to him, security agencies, traditional rulers and youths in the state were expected to ensure total compliance with the directive.

He said: “All necessary measures, including total blockage of the borders, will be put in place until further notice.

“Particular efforts will be geared towards stopping those who may attempt to sneak into the state, either at night or at dawn, until further notice.”

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He added that traditional rulers and security agencies had been mandated to ensure that persons identified to have returned from Lagos, Abuja and overseas were made to observe self-isolation for at least 14 days.

Okiyi-Kalu urged the people of the state to report any strange incident or observation within their neighbourhood on COVID-19 to relevant agencies for prompt action.

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