COVID-19: Violators of restriction order risk jail term in Niger

Violators of the restriction imposed by the Niger State Government over the Coronavirus Disease outbreak in the country shall be liable to a fine or imprisonment or both in accordance with the extant laws.
Disclosing this at a media briefing, the Secretary to the State Government and Chairman State Action Committee on COVID-19, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, said the new measure became necessary following the gross disrespect for the appeals and directives on social distancing and social gatherings by the people as the precautionary measures against the spread of Coronavirus.
According to the Committee Chairman, it became imperative to go beyond appeals and directives to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease in order to avoid an impending health and economic calamity of unimaginable proportion in the State.
Matane said Governor Abubakar Sani Bello decided to invoke the Niger State COVID-19 Order 2020, conferred on him by all the relevant portions of the law and the Constitution for the collective good, safety, security and public health of the people.
According to the SSG, the State Government has relaxed the restriction of movement imposed in the State from 2pm to 10pm, beginning from April 5, 2020.
Markets are now to open from 8am to 2pm to enable people buy food stuff and other essentials, while the intra- and inter-State movement of people and vehicles remain banned.
He announced that the State Civil Servants on Grade Level 1 to 12 earlier directed to stay at home as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease are now to resume work on April 6, 2020, from 8am to 2pm.
Meanwhile, all Local Government Areas sharing border with neighbouring States have been directed to ensure effective monitoring of people and vehicles coming into the local government as all entry points to the State remain closed except those on essential services.
While debunking insinuations going round that the State Government had banned ‘call to prayers’, the Secretary to the State Government advised the people to shun rumour mongering, adding that the State is yet to record any case of COVID-19.