Judex Okoro, Calabar
Cross River government has commenced Corova Virus awareness campaign at the Ranch Resort located at Obudu.
The campaign is one of the measures being put in place by all relevant governemnt agencies to create more awareness on the virus and forestall panicky measures among residents.
 
Commencing the campaign at the bottom of Obudu Ranxh Resort in Obanliku local government area of the state on Monday, the Senior Special Asviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Ranch, Hon Bobby Ekpenyong, said the state is a tourism destination and the Ranch is a hot spot for tourists, thus the need to set up emergency unit at the Ranch gate.
 Ekpenyong said the campaign commenced by first testing the staff who are the first point of contact for tourists and then take it up to the historic communities.
 
He said: “We are here at the Ranch on the directive of the Governor to guard against unforeseen occurrence. The Ranch is a strategic tourist site and many visitors come here. Thus the campaign.
 
“We have opened a testing unit at the gate of the resort where everybody coming in must be first examined. We have deployed medical personnel  and have provided nose masks,  hand sanitisers and thermometer to gauge body temperature at all locations within the ranch.
 
“We commend the governor for his prompt action and plead with ministry of health to send at least a medical doctor and pharmacist to the medical centre.”
 
Speaking during the exercise, the Chief Nursing Officer of Ranch Mediacl Centre, Mr Christopher Alinia,  expressed delight that the state has put in place precautionary measures in plqce to enable them quickly detect any outbreak.
 
He called on governemnt to provide an emergency room at the Ranch Resort where they can keep patient in case of any early detection before taking the person down to quarantine centre in Calabar.
 
He added that gocernemnt should also use this opportunity to equip the medical centre with ambulance and other facilities befitting of the resort considering the calibre of tourists that come in here.
According to him, the centre serves all the host communities of   Anape, Kegol, Kejikwu, Okwumo, Apahajile and Keyi,  and sometimes is is overstretched.