COVID-19: Osun awaiting test results of 56 Cote d’Ivoire returnees

Osun State government on Wednesday said the results of the coronavirus test of 56 out of 127 returnees from Cote d’Ivoire were being expected after their blood samples were taken to confirm status.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu Isamotu, who made this disclosure while addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the Osun State capital clarified that not all the 127 individuals quarantined after returning from Ivory Coast are citizens of Osun State.

He stated “not all the 127 are citizens of Osun. They were in six buses. We insisted they should be quarantined. Three of them had earlier returned positive. Another 9 have also returned positive. 71 have been tested and we’re expecting 56 results.

“All the cases are not residents of the state. They are receiving medical treatment. We delayed the lockdown to ensure that workers are paid before the commencement of total lockdown.

“We have two isolation centres in Osogbo and one in Ile-Ife. I want to allay the fears of our people in Ejigbo that all the Cote d’Ivoire returnees are in isolation centre and they are not allowed to mingle with the people. Soldiers and policemen are also on ground at the isolation centre to do the needful.

“Due to the proactiveness of Governor Gboyega Oyetola, those coming from Cote d’Ivoire were quarantined. We didn’t allow them to move freely with the people. Some of those returnees are from Oyo, Kwara, Edo, Delta and Anambra. Those that are negative will be released in line with the directives of NCDC,” Isamotu remarked.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the ravaging coronavirus, socio-economic activities were on Wednesday grounded in Osun as the total lockdown ordered by the state government began.

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Tribune Online which monitored the compliance of the residents to the lockdown discovered that commercial banks and other public institutions were shut just as security agencies were spotted at a strategic location to enforce the lockdown order.

Our correspondent discovered that residents in Osogbo, Ikirun, Ede, Ile-Ife, Ilesa and other major urban communities complied with the stay-at-home order.

The streets were also deserted as policemen and officers of the Nigeria Security of Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen patrolling the streets to enforce the stay-at-home order.

At Owode Ede, about 15 articulated vehicles loaded with trucks were stopped by security agencies from entering Osogbo, Osun State capital while officials of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) closed one section of the Gbongan-Ibadan expressway to traffic.

Similarly, armed soldiers were spotted at Asejire in Ikire, the border town between Oyo and Osun checking vehicles moving to either of two states.