COVID-19: Governor Umahi bans weddings, burial, Orders arrest of defaulters

The Governor of Ebonyi state, Chief David Umahi on Monday banned the conduct of burials, weddings and conferences for one months and ordered security agencies to arrest defaulters.

Umahi made this known while addressing traditional rulers, exco- members, prominent stakeholders during a town hall meeting that took place at the Akanu- Ibiam international conference centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state Capital.

The Governor, represented by the Deputy Governor, Barr. Eric Kelechi Igwe, said the decision to ban all burials, weddings and other social gatherings within one months was reached after a wide consultation by the governor Chief David Umahi, to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the state.

According to him: “there will be testing of people in the markets and the public gathering by health practitioners. Our leaders and traditional rulers should inform their people to cooperate with them.

“It is the desire of Ebonyi state government to provide comforts for everybody in Ebonyi state. But for the nature of this Coronavirus which spread by contacts especially in public social gathering.

“Ebonyi state government has resolved henceforth that there shall be no more burials, and there shall be no weddings, conferences and other social gatherings in the land of Ebonyi for a period of one months for the main time with effect from yesterday.

“Sometimes when you conduct a burial, some of the people that attends this burial comes from Lagos, Abuja and all over the country that are heavily infected with this virus and you can’t stop them from attending the burials” he said.

Umahi however, tasked all monarchs in the state not to show mercy or empathy to any person that is presumed to have the symptoms of coronavirus in their kingdoms.