By Iduozee Paul, Benin
The speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Frank Okiye, has tested positive for Coronavirus, while Governor Godwin Obaseki has been isolated for having contact with the governor of Bauchi State, who recently also tested positive.
This is the second case confirmed Coronavirus case in Edo State. Breaking the new to journalists at the Government House, Benin City, deputy governor of the state, Hon. Philips Shuiabu said the state government still maintains restriction on gatherings of more than 20 persons.
Shuiabu who is also the Committee Chairman of Edo State COVID-19, said they have been able to track a total number of 111 cases, while 64 per of them are in touch, six isolated and five samples made.
He stated:” Following his close contact with the Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Muhammed, and chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari, who have both tested positive for corona virus, the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has gone into self-isolation. The governor has sent his samples for testing. “The index case of the corona virus in Edo State is the speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt., Hon. Frank Okiye. He traveled to the United Kingdom, came back and self-isolated. He sent his sample for testing and the test came back positive. He is in stable condition, his family members have been tested, and the tests came back negative.”
When asked what plans governments put in place to track those who have contact with the duo when they arrived. Shuiabu said since the Speaker came from aboard he went into self-isolation.
He explained that, his wife, daughter including this aide who carried his luggage when he came back from UK, tested negative.
The deputy governor said Obaseki, had not had a hand shake with anybody since he came from Abuja.
He announced that the state government has bought 40 drums of sanitizers to be distributed in the local government areas, palaces and other public places, and that markets remain closed, except for those selling essential commodities such as, food and medicine.
Shuiabu said the state government has given law enforcement agencies power to enforce the bans warning that anybody who violates the order will be arrested and dealt with.
He begged the public to report to the government anybody who comes back from abroad and urged them not to panic explaining that the virus does not kill if people present themselves to be tested and isolated.
Earlier, the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki has said the only way to avoid contacting Coronavirus, the dreaded killer disease is to maintain social distancing as he announced that all schools should be closed till further notice and people should avoid crowds. He added that public vehicles should avoid carrying many passengers and appealed to the people to report to government anybody that comes back from aboard.
Obaseki gave the orders at a press conference while addressing journalists on the case of identification of a Coronavirus victim in Benin city, saying nobody should be allowed to travel until the case is solved. He appealed to citizens to report any case of people traveling in their domain.
The governor said social distancing is the best way to avoid contacting the disease and advised business owners, private firms, market sellers and traders to have hand sanitizers for their customers to wash their hands to avoid being infected by the virus.
Asked how people at the grassroots would get the message, the governor said, since he came back from NEC meeting he had met with the traditional rulers, religious groups, and the Oba of Benin to see how the message would best be taken down to the rural areas.
Obaseki added that he met with political leaders across the 192 wards to spread the message to their people and appealed to the media to help educate the people on how to avoid the raging virus.
Confirming the first recorded case in Edo, the chief medical director of Irrua Teaching Hospital, Dr. Sylvanus Okogbenin, said one person had been confirmed as having the virus and the victim was already in the isolation center.
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#Kick-Out COVID 19
