By Lesley Muosowo Otu
The Minister for Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello has given new directives in the fight to curtail the spread of COVID-19 within the nation’s capital.
In line with the applicable safety precautions to cut the COVID-19 spread, the Minister has ordered a mandatory use of face masks.
The Abuja Market Management Limited is also mandated to create 40 selling points in various districts of the capital to decongest existing markets.
These came as the territory takes tougher measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after more than three weeks in lockdown.
Under the new measures, business hours for markets have been extended to allow markets in the FCT run from 8am to 3pm instead of the previous 10am to 2pm, while the days remain Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Briefing the media, Friday, the Managing Director of the AMML, Abubakar Faruk said, “Even ahead of the take-off of the Neighbourhood Selling Points, the Minister insisted that all users of markets in the FCT must use face mask and also observe social distancing.
“To this end, the Honourable Minister has mandated us, the Abuja Markets Management Limited to ensure that existing selling points for food items within the markets are decentralized immediately to achieve social distancing”,
Faruk said that the concept of Neighbourhood Selling Points is aimed at taking pressure off the existing markets in the FCT.
He further said that while urging FCT residents to support the intent of the lockdown by patronising markets in their neighbourhoods, the Minister has ordered law enforcement agencies to clamp down on residents who use the pretext of going to the market to disobey government directives.
“This will further enhance the attainment of social distancing among residents which is a key requirement for eventual winning of the battle against the dreaded virus,” the MD added.
