Benue: Infectious Bill 2020 Passes At State Assembly

The Benue State House of Assembly has passed the Benue State Highly Infectious Diseases (Emergency, Prevention, and Management) Bill, 2020 on Thursday.

Taking lead at the bill's debate was the Chairman of the House Committee on Health and Human Services, Joseph Okponya, who said that the bill served to "prevent and contain the spread" of highly contagious diseases that are of great threat to public health.

Contained in the bill are guidelines and regulations that will direct and inform the state's residents on the need to be screen and tested.

Okponya said, "The import of this bill is to prevent and contain the spread of highly infectious diseases such as coronavirus which constitutes a serious and imminent threat to the public health of the people of Benue State.

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"The bill issues regulations and guidelines to residents of the state whose lives are threatened daily by the deadly pandemic and inform them of the necessity of screening, testing, and isolation.

"It equally encapsulates restriction of movements of people, events, gatherings, and commercial activities as well as prohibits hoarding of foodstuffs, drugs, and other essential supplies.

"Furthermore, the bill imposes restrictions on transportation, storage, and disposal of COVID-19 victims and cautions against the transmission and spread of false information regarding the pandemic.

"It also aims at empowering and providing legal backing to the initiatives, activities, and efforts of the Chief Executive Officer of the state, which is the Governor as well as the frontline health workers and practitioners that are directly involved in combating infectious diseases.

"The passage of the bill would further enable the state governor to provide isolation apartment or quarters for health care workers involved in managing highly infectious disease outbreak in accordance with global best practices, among others."