Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, on Saturday, confirmed the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19)in the state.
According to the governor, who made the confirmation in a special broadcast at his country home, Aguleri, Anambra East council area of the state, he said: “I regret to announce that, despite our proactive measures to insulate our dear state from this pandemic, we recorded the first case of Coronavirus in the state yesterday.
“The index case came in from Lagos. He has been placed in one of our protective care centres.
“At the same time, we have commenced aggressive contact tracing to ensure that everyone he came in contact with is brought into the net for a professional handling that will save lives.”
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While urging residents not to panic over the recorded case, Obiano said the state government, under his watch, is adequately prepared to handle the situation.
“We have trained enough manpower on how to handle COVID-19 cases and our protective care centres are among the best in the country at the moment. On the strength of this, I urge you to stand strong in prayer and faith. We shall flatten the curve on this case to prevent further spread of the virus,” he added.
To prevent further spread in the state, he explained, that it has become extremely necessary to tighten the measures we had taken earlier on the pandemic.
“To achieve that, the government shall take the following steps; the restriction on movement is hereby extended by two weeks. This time, we are placing a comprehensive lockdown on Anambra State. We shall not tolerate any movement across the state by individuals and groups. Only people on essential services are permitted to move around in the delivery of those services to the people.
“Residents are advised to stay indoors to avoid getting contaminated by this virus.
“The security agencies will enforce the restriction on movement this time and they have my authorisation to make arrests where necessary to keep the state safe.
“All boundaries with neighbouring states remain closed. There will be no vehicular or human traffic across all the boundaries of Anambra State. Only vehicles delivering essential services are permitted after a comprehensive check and authorisation by security operatives at the boundaries.
“However, anyone who wishes to step outdoors for any reason at all must wear a face mask.
“And anyone who violates this directive stands a chance of arrest and prosecution because as it has turned out, the fight has just started,” the governor warned.
Tribune Online learnt that the COVID-19 index patient in Anambra State, came back from UK to Lagos before the airports were closed. He stayed in Lagos for a while and was asymptomatic. He apparently developed symptoms during the lockdown.
He was said to have visited Regina Caeli hospital, Awka, and treated for malaria. After this, he was referred to St Joseph’s Hospital, Adazi Nnukwu where he tested positive for COVID-19. He has been picked up, to be transferred to Onitsha General Hospital for quarantine.
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