Gov. Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa on Saturday announced the immediate reopening of the state borders with others which were shut on March 24 because of coronavirus pandemic.

The governor, who made the announcement at a news conference in Dutse, also said that movement from other states to Jigawa would now be allowed under strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the reopening of the borders came a week after the state government reopened all weekly markets in the state which were shut nine weeks ago.

NAN reports that 307 of the 317 COVID-19 patients in the state, have been discharged while one is still being treated and nine have died.

“We are full of prayers not to retreat back to those anxious and uncertain moments of the past.

“We have only one coronavirus patient with active disease while the remaining in the isolation centre have recovered and been discharged.

“We also thank God that in the last four days there has been no reported case of COVID-19 in the state. With ardent prayers and support of the Jigawa people, we are determined to sustain the tempo,” Badaru said.

The governor, however, said the state had closed the Fanisau Isolation Centre temporarily, pending when a new case of the disease was recorded.

He further announced that the Federal Government had donated N1billion COVID-19 grant to the state, in addition to 150 truck loads of grains as palliatives to cushion the effects of the lockdown in the state.

Badaru said that the grains were delivered to the state through the National Emergency and Management Agency (NEMA), adding that 11 of the 150 truck loads had already arrived in the state.

“We will use the already established method of distribution through the polling units, to get to the less privileged, in order to lessen the hardship faced by these groups of individuals,” he said.

The governor, however, said that schools would remain closed in the state, pending when the situation of coronavirus pandemic improved in the country.

NAN