COVID-19: Kano Govt distributes 10m facemasks to residents

The Kano State Government has distributed over 10 million pieces of facemasks to residents to stem spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim-Getso, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Kano.

Ibrahim-Getso said the facemasks were distributed to residents since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state.

He said the state government through the ministry of environment had fumigated public places such as markets, schools, offices, religious places of worship, motor parks, suspected houses and other strategic locations to curb transmission of the virus.

The ministry, he said, had recently fumigated premises of the Kano State University of Technology (KUST), Wudil, and the NYSC Orientation Camp, Kusalla in Karaye Local Government Area of the state.

The commissioner explained that the exercise was still in progress as more communities would be fumigated to protect residents against the virus.

According to him, the ministry has deployed 2,000 sanitation vanguards to create awareness on environmental sanitation and personal hygiene, to stem spread of the pandemic.

Ibrahim-Getso said the sanitation vanguards were part of the COVID-19 Marshals deployed to enforce use of the facemasks and promote compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols in the state.

He said the state government also distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other items to private and public hospitals as well schools, adding that the measure s part of proactive strategies adopted to control the pandemic.

The commissioner urged residents of the state to observe COVID-19 safety protocols, use of facemasks, hand washing and social distancing to stay safe.