Against the backdrop of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, Osun State governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola on Monday announced that his administration has created isolation centre, just as he urged residents not to panic.
He said though no case of coronavirus had been recorded in Osun, the state government would not leave any stone unturned in exploring precautionary measures to guard against the disease.
In a special broadcast to the people, Oyetola maintained that “in Nigeria, the number of cases grew from 3 to 12 within one week. As at today, the number has grown to 30. Cases of the outbreak of the virus have been reported in some states.”
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According to the governor, “the occurrence of these cases, especially in neighbouring States, calls for caution and proactive measures. Although there has been no recorded case in Osun, we have, as a responsible government, fast-tracked our response activities in order to keep our people safe and free from the virus.”
“As part of immediate measures to prevent an outbreak, we constituted three committees to decisively deal with the situation. These are the Technical Response Committee, the Economic Impact Committee and the Communication Committee. These three committees, which consist of experts in the respective fields, report directly to my office under my leadership.”
“We are also in partnership with the African Centre of Excellence in Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at the Redeemers University, Ede, for easy investigation.”
“We have also created holding centres to isolate and treat possible reported cases. The emergency hotline to call, should there be need is 293. Other phone numbers are 08035025692, 08033908772 and 08056456250.”
“All citizens are advised to strictly observe a high level of personal hygiene, including, but not limited to frequent handwashing with soap, or hand sanitizer. All citizens are strongly advised to avoid non-essential travels within the country.”
“The inter-ministerial committees will continue to closely monitor and provide further information regularly to our people. Citizens residing in Osun should report to the appropriate authorities if they have a travel history to or from nations identified as high-risk countries or have contacts with persons diagnosed with the coronavirus.”
“In addition to the proactive measures we have so far taken, we have also placed a ban on public gatherings. We wish to make it abundantly clear that the ban also covers unauthorised mining sites across the state, churches, mosques, political meetings and night clubs among others.”
“We have also mandated a Monitoring Team to enforce the ban on public gatherings. We are doing all these to further ensure we are all safe. Do not panic. But obey government’s simple instructions and directives. Follow simple hygiene. And together, we shall win the war against coronavirus and keep our State safe and secure”, Oyetola remarked.
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