By Dipo Olowookere
No fewer than 75 people in Kwara State, who have had contact with persons who tested positive for COVID-19, have been traced and put in isolation.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor/Spokesman for the Technical Committee on COVID-19, Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that the people were identified by the state’s Rapid Response Team (RRT).
On Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said two persons tested positive for the coronavirus in Kwara State. It was the first time cases of the virus was reported in the state.
While addressing the media, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq those put in isolation included staff of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) who attended to a suspected case who died in the facility last Thursday.
He said government was “utterly disappointed” at the development at the UITH, demanding immediate suspension of Professor Alakija Kazeem Salami for his role in the controversy.
“The government is utterly disappointed at the breach of trust that played out in the UITH case. Without prejudice to the internal investigation by UITH, we demand immediate suspension of Professor Alakija Kazeem Salami and every other official of UITH whose professional misconducts brought us down this path,” he said.
Mr AbdulRazaq used the opportunity to announce the signing of a regulation to give legal backing to the government’s measures to contain the pandemic in Kwara State.
According to him, the law includes “sanctions against anyone caught endangering public safety in whatever form or seeking to unfairly profit from our collective vulnerability and need for essential commodities at this time.”
“Our job is cut out for us and we are definitely not dropping the ball. Contact tracing by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee has so far netted 75 persons who have had contacts with the cases and the suspected case at UITH,” Mr AbdulRazaq said.
He described this situation as “a trying moment for the whole of mankind. But we are definitely not helpless or without reasonable preparation in Kwara State.
“We are also blessed with committed professionals who are up to the task and willing to stand up and be counted at this time — while also taking all precautions.”
“COVID-19 is a global pandemic. Contracting it is neither a death sentence nor an indication of guilt. We urge Kwarans to avoid crowded space, isolate themselves, and call our helplines if they have just returned from places of interest in the last three weeks.
“The government will quickly extend the ongoing fumigation exercise to these places of interest, including Offa, where contamination may have occurred as a result of this infectious disease. Notwithstanding our preparation, we are not ashamed to say that Kwara State will be glad to get all the help it can receive at this moment,” he added.
Governor AbdulRazaq said the administration is doubling its sensitisation efforts across various media platforms, including calling on traditional rulers to help spread the message in the hinterlands.
He urged residents of the state not to panic, but “stay calm,” assuring them that his administration will “do everything to keep you safe.”
“But we also need you to play your own role. Stay at home. Keep social distancing. Avoid crowd. Prioritise personal hygiene. And please do not spread unverified news,” he appealed.
The Governor thanked corporate bodies and private individuals who have donated to the counter-COVID-19 campaign, including Sterling Bank Plc, which gave the state government N30 million as well as Olam Investments, which put down 30 tons trailer load spaghetti, 300 bags of rice, and 50 cartons of Sunnola oil.
