Covid-19: We Isolated Returnees To Avoid Community Spread- Osun Govt

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

No fewer than 14 cases of the deadly Coronavirus cases have been confirmed, according to a data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control,NCDC on Wednesday.

The NCDC had on Tuesday Confirmed three cases apart from the two cases ealier confirmed last week, with the new 9 cases, the Confirmed cases have now soared to 14 cases.

The Governor of the state, Mr Gboyega Oyetola had on Sunday in a live broadcast announced the total lockdown of the state, the order compelling residents of the state to stay at their homes.

The stay-at-home order according to the governor was part of the precautionary measures to contain the spread of deadly covid-19 in the state.

The news of the nine new cases of Coronavirus officially announced by NCDC this afternoon has thrown the residents into panic as the virus is rapidly spreading around the country.

Speaking at a press conference, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu Isamotu said that the new 12 cases recorded in Osun between yesterday and today are Cote-deviour returnees.

Isamotu explained that the returnees are 127 in number who returned to the State last week and they were quarantined at Ejigbo at the expense of the State government to curtail the spread of the Covid-19 in the state.

He further explained that out of the 127 people tested on Tuesday, three of them returned positive and today April 1, 47 others were tested and nine of them came positive .

He said while they were still waiting for the remaining 56 people whom their samples have been taken for test , a total number of 71 people have been tested among which 12 of them were positive.

“We were told initially that the returnees were citizens of Osun. It was when they arrived and while they were being screened that we realised that some of them are from Oyo, Edo, Kogi, and some other states. And as a responsible government, we couldn’t send then away.”

“There are three isolation centres in Osun. Two are in Osogbo, while one is at Ile-Ife. The Isolation Centre in Ejigbo was specially prepared to receive the contingencies from Cote D’Ivoire.”

“Due to the proactiveness of Mr Governor, the returnees were intercepted at the border. We allowed them into our state, and we did not allow them to move about. We had prepared a place for them where they would be isolated pending the confrontation of their status.

“We do not want a community spread, and this is why we did what we did. Those who were found positive are currently receiving treatment in our facilities.”

Isamotu commended the state government for ordering a lockdown of the state which is targeted at preventing the influx of the pandemic.

He said: “apart from the Cote D’Ivoire cases, we would be able to know if the case is reduced or not.”

He said among the Cote-deviour returnees are Indegens are Indegenes of Edo, Kwara, Oyo, Anambra among others.

He said the infected persons are responding to the treatment just as he urged the residents not to panic as the government are on top of the situation