The Enugu State Government today, 19 May 2020, explained that the three new cases of Covid-19 announced for the state yesterday were Nigerian citizens who wilfully broke national lockdown restrictions to sneak into the State.
This has been the recurring story for all 13 discoveries so far made in Enugu after the state recorded its index case of a couple that returned from travel abroad with the virus.
“In these times, we all need to comply strictly with all measures and regulations and exercise restraint from behaviours that will put others at risk,” Health Commissioner, Dr. Ikechukwu Emmanuel Obi, pleaded in a statement.
While recounting the travel history of the latest 3 cases, Dr. Obi, announced that the State is also considering the discharge of two more cases that have tested negative while in isolation.
The two, he said, are the Fifth Case and her daughter who is recorded as Case No. 9.
The Lockdown Violators
Dr. Obi described the 15 cases so far recorded for Enugu as “unfortunate figures” because they are the result of “individuals who have deliberately disobeyed the lockdown order and inter-state transportation as ordered by the Federal and State governments.”
He went into lengths to describe their travel histories as well as the circumstances that brought them to the State, as follows:
Case No.13
A 25 year’old man from Ondo State who lives in Lagos.
“He made his way first to Akwa Ibom, then to Rivers State and finally to Obollo Afor in Udenu LGA of Enugu State, all within the period of closure of land boundaries and inter-state movement.
“He developed symptoms while at Obollo Afor, the health authorities were alerted, he was tested and his result came out positive.:
Case No. 14
A 38 year-old male, from Okpuje in Nsukka LGA, who lives in Nassarawa State.
“He found his way back to Enugu State during the same period of lockdown.
“On suspecting he may have contacted the virus, he initially went into self-quarantine in a hotel at Nsukka.
“He subsequently developed symptoms and alerted the health authorities.
“He was tested and his test result also came back positive.”
Case No. 15
A 28 year-old female and a widow who hails from Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State.
“She lives in Lagos State with her husband.
“She recently lost her husband in Lagos and was able to smuggle his remains back to Enugu State for burial, despite the lockdown in Lagos State and the national ban on inter-state movement
“Her actions raised suspicion and the health authorities were alerted.
“She was subsequently tested and her result came back positive.
Take responsibility, Obi says
“The good people of Enugu State are still encouraged to continue to comply with the directives of the Federal and Enugu State governments on containment of the spread of COVID-19 as well as the precautionary measures in the public health advisory of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and the Enugu State Ministry of Health.
The best options remain:
- Stay home when it is not necessary to go out.
- Wear a facemask/covering whenever you must go out.
- Keep a safe distance from other people at all times, which is social / physical distancing and avoid crowded places.
- Practice good respiratory hygiene (when coughing or sneezing)
- Clean surfaces with a 1 in 6 concentration of bleach and water.
- Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds under running water as often as possible, and,
- When facilities for hand washing are unavailable, sanitize your hands as often as possible using an alcohol based hand sanitizer.”
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