Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, yesterday, declared total lockdown in Anambra State following the emergence of Coronavirus index case in the state.
Obiano, in a special broadcast, said that the total lockdown was with immediate effect. He said that the measure had become necessary to ensure that the deadly disease would not spread in the state.
He disclosed that the patient who came into the state from Lagos State has been placed under care at one of the Protective Care Centres in the state.
The governor said that the total lockdown was extension of the initial restriction on movement and would last for additional two weeks. He said that government would not tolerate any movement across the state by individuals and groups except those on essential services.
Obiano said: “Ndi Anambra, 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 (referring to Friday).
“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.
“Ndi Anambra, I urge you not to panic over this. It did not take us by surprise. We are 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 said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige has been given a clean bill of health over COVID-19 by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which took his sample last week.
In a message sent to the former Anambra governor by Dr John of NCDC, the centre confirmed the minister’s test result as negative.