After Coronavirus Recovery, Bauchi Governor Ignores Social Distancing, Joins Other Worshippers For Jumat Prayers

Barely one week after recovering from coronavirus, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed joined other Muslims worshippers for Jumat prayers at the Bauchi central mosque.

KanyiDaily recalls that Governor Mohammed had tested positive for the coronavirus on March 23, 2020, and at least five persons who had contact with him were infected.

The governor finally recovered after her tested negative for the virus on April 3, and he joined other worshippers on Friday, April 10, at the mosque to flout government directives on social distancing.

The federal government, as well as the Bauchi State government, has been preaching social distancing, but it did not deter the worshippers at the Bauchi mosque from congregating without precautions.

While Governor Mohammed was on isolation and undergoing treatment for the disease, his deputy, Baba Tela, who heads the State Action Committee on COVID-19, had lamented that residents of Bauchi have not been obeying the social distancing order.

Mr Tela told journalists during one of the periodic news briefing on COVID-19 that he was “disappointed” with the rate of compliance in the state.

“We are disappointed that residents have not been complying with the social distancing directive advised by government,” he said.

Governor Mohammed, who made his first public appearance at the mosque after his recovery from the coronavirus, was welcomed by the Emir of Bauchi and other top government officials.

He appeared at the mosque wearing a facemask and hand gloves as he joined the emir at the reserved front row of the congregation.

Only the governor and a few others had facemasks and gloves on amidst the scores of worshippers at the mosque where social distancing was not observed.

After Friday’s Jumat prayer, Mr Mohammed exchanged pleasantries with the emir and other religious leaders before he was ushered by security operatives into his vehicle.

Mr Mohammed also addressed the congregation outside the mosque where he thanked them for their prayers while promising to dispense leadership with humility and justice.

While departing the palace, the governor mounted his official vehicle to publicly wave at the cheering crowd.

Bauchi State has six confirmed cases of coronavirus and has so far remained the only state in the Northeast to have recorded the outbreak of the coronavirus. But the state government has so far demonstrated little or poor commitment to combatting the spread of the disease.