Plateau State Government has banned motorcycles and tricycles from operating across the state during the yuletide season in a bid to tighten security across the state.
The ban takes effect from Friday 25th, to Saturday 26th December 2020 and Friday 1st January 2021 across the 17 Local Governments.
Also all boundary routes into the State and within the Local Government areas are to be monitored and check-points mounted to monitor movements.
This was part of the decision reached at the end of the stakeholders meeting on Security and COVID19 held in Jos on Wednesday.
The meeting convened by Governor Simon Bako Lalong was presided over by Secretary to the Government of Plateau State Danladi Abok Atu who is the Coordinator of the State Taskforce on COVID-19.
Atu said the event was organised to draw the attention of the stakeholders to the urgency of the situation occasioned by the second wave of the pandemic particularly during the yuletide season.
On the second wave of COVID19,Atu said the state government does not intend to impose a lockdown but will ensure strict compliance to all protocols and the new measures rolled out.
“All public gatherings including places of worship should cut down attendance to 50 percent of their capacity and banned all cultural festivals.”
” The use of facemasks should be enforced in all public places while social distancing, hand washing and other protocols are adhered to.
Governor Lalong said Covid-19 Testing will be enhanced in all Local Government areas while all sample collection Centres be publicised to encourage voluntary testing.
He urged the stakeholders to hold similar sensitization engagements with their members at the grassroots.
Also he directed that all recreational centres be closed until further notice.
On Security, the state government said security reports available indicated that some criminal elements are planning attacks on some communities in the State during the yuletide season.
The Governor however mandated the meeting to foster a more community-driven response to intelligence and surveillance so as to assist security agencies with useful information to enable them respond to any threat of attack by criminals.
He said the State Government is working with the security agencies to be more proactive rather than reactive. He also said the State has strengthened Operation Rainbow to ensure that it compliments the security effort.
The state government also resolved to tighten security across the state by reinforcing surveillance and intelligence gathering in all communities
” All security threats should be reported immediately using the appropriate channels
” Public transporters particularly commercial tricycle operators should be registered
” Vigilante groups and community watch groups should be motivated
” All suspects arrested for crimes such as kidnapping, murder should be thoroughly investigated
Present at the. Stakeholders Meeting were Local Government Chairmen, traditonal rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and health experts.
