COVID-19: Enugu govt reacts to two confirmed cases

The Enugu State Ministry of Health has reacted to the two confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, urging the general public, especially state residents not to panic as health personnel were already responding to the situation.

…Closes all borders, markets

… Asks all oversea returnees to contact 08182555550 or 09022333833 for evaluation

…Urges residents not to panic as Health Personnel are responding to the present situation

An update from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), on Friday night, reported that two cases in Enugu State, tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier, the Enugu State government had announced the closure of all markets, land borders and inter-state transportation in the state till further notice, except those on medical emergency services.

Reacting shortly after the NCDC announced the two cases in Enugu, via its twitter account, the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi confirmed that “the two patients, who presented on their own, tested positive for Corona Virus (COVID-19)”.

Dr. Agujiobi disclosed that the patients were returnees from United Kingdom (UK), stating: “It is important to inform the public that the patients voluntarily contacted the Enugu State Ministry of Health, on arrival from United Kingdom (UK) and requested for the COVID-19 test which came out positive”.

“So far, the patients have remained in isolation and the Enugu State Multi-sectoral Rapid Response Team has commenced contact tracing”, he said.

The permanent secretary who expressed the state government’s gratitude to the patients for voluntarily reporting to the state Ministry of Health “following the announcement that all returnees from overseas in the last 14 days should report for evaluation”, encouraged all those who returned recently from overseas to contact the Enugu State Public Health Department, through the following dedicated lines – 08182555550 or 09022333833.

He therefore advised all residents of the state to continue to observe high level of personal hygiene and maintain the social distancing protocol and where possible stay home.

Closing the borders and markets, the state government in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, stressed that all markets in the state, no matter the size, will be closed till further notice, with effect from 6pm on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

The statement added that other categories exempted from the closure include “those dealing on food items, water, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and other basic items of daily domestic need which must comply with the standard hygiene protocol as stipulated by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), including frequent hand washing with soap, use of sanitizer and social distancing.”

According to Prof. Ortuanya, “all Local Government Chairmen are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance with the closure of markets within their respective local government councils, without prejudice to the exceptions above”.

While appealing for understanding from the residents and citizens of the state “at this difficult time as no sacrifice is too much to save the lives of our people”, the state government directed the security agencies and the State Medical Response Team to enforce all the directives as stated above.