Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has urged the people of Ondo State to be proactive in the fight against coronavirus, warning that the increasing cases may lead to community transmission.
At a weekly media briefing on the pandemic in Akure, the governor attributed the rise in coronavirus cases in Ondo to the connivance of some security personnel with some passengers to gain entrance into the state despite border closure by the government.
“It shows what will happen if we fail to obey simple rules and regulations carefully crafted to save and preserve our lives. It is particularly saddening that these are taking place at a time government is escalating action to prevent such occurrences.
“As you are aware, Ondo State recorded five more cases of Covid-19 infection at the weekend. The fourth and fifth cases occurred on Saturday while the sixth, seventh and eighth cases were discovered on Sunday.
“The fourth and fifth cases were clear evidence of panic, disobedience, lack of discretion and reckless disregard for the well being of others, while the sixth, seventh and eighth cases were regrettable cases of community transmission whose presence in our state were by default,” Akeredolu said.
On the porous borders, he said: “Our security agents who ought to enforce government’s restriction order are themselves accomplices who abuse the trust placed in them at this critical time.
“Members of the public, upon witnessing this massive compromise by law enforcement agents and other government officials, are thereby encouraged to defy the safety regulations and persist in error.
“In any and all of these scenarios, we are the losers. The level of threat and risk to our lives and those of our loved ones is heightened. We must do something to prevent these unfortunate and absolutely avoidable experiences.”
“The fourth and fifth Cases are officers of the Nigeria Police Force serving under the Lagos State Police Command while the sixth case is a murder suspect who was arrested in Edo State and transferred to Ondo State for trial for crime earlier committed in Ondo State.
“The seventh case was a female civilian who sneaked into the state from Abuja. The eighth case was discovered in Owo and samples taken were confirmed positive.
“The fourth case, a policeman resident in Lagos, upon noticing symptoms of the viral infection, reported at the National Testing Centre, Yaba, Lagos for medical review on Monday 20th April 2020.
“Accordingly, his samples were taken while he was told to await his result and further directives in line with established protocols.
“On Wednesday 22nd April 2020, exactly two days after the samples were taken, the case, without concluding the test processes and without any medical clearance, proceeded on an unfortunate journey to Akure where his family is based. This journey was unnecessary, ill-advised and a total disregard for the national regulation which forbids interstate movement.
“It is even more defiant because it violates the total lockdown imposed on Lagos by the Federal Government and the ban on inter-state border movement imposed by governments of the South-West states.
“He arrived in Akure on Wednesday and reportedly kept the night in a colleague’s place. On Thursday, the case, as promised, got a message from the National Testing Centre, Yaba, Lagos confirming his sample as having tested positive.
“The expectation was that he would make himself available at once for immediate isolation and further treatment at the Lagos State government designated facilities.
“He did not make himself available for such as he was already in Akure. The implication of this was that a man infected with Covid-19 in Lagos and who was expected to be in Lagos for treatment had entered Ondo State and had spent a day.
“The case broke through all restrictions and border controls and returned to Lagos late Thursday. He claimed to have called the health authorities to fetch him for quarantine and treatment.
“He did not wait to be picked up by authorities or make conscious efforts to reach the designated facilities. Rather and surprisingly, the suspect, in company of another policeman, returned to Akure on Saturday without receiving the medical attention for which he claimed to have gone to Lagos.”
On the quick response by the state to stop further spread, he said: “Upon arrival in Akure on Saturday, his health status was discovered and was brought to the attention of our response team.
“He was immediately taken and placed on admission at our Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) where he is currently undergoing treatment.
“It is important to state that the other officer with whom he came from Lagos has also been quarantined in our Infectious Diseases Hospital here in Akure, having earlier tested positive in Lagos.”
Akeredolu spoke as Governor Nyesom Wike also berated security agencies for allowing travellers to enter and leave Rivers State at will despite the closure of the borders.Wike raised the alarm that the activities of the security personnel were endangering the lives of the citizens by exposing them to avoidable risks.
In a state broadcast yesterday in Port Harcourt, the governor said: “These unscrupulous security officers are deliberately putting our state and the lives of our people at risk as our health system can hardly cope, should there be a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“To contain this threat, therefore, we will be inaugurating the state’s Task Force on Border Closure on Tuesday April 28, 2020 to effectively monitor our boundaries and ensure that no unauthorized person and or vehicle leaves or enters our state under any guise in breach of the lockdown order.”
The Guardian
