By Idowu Abdullahi,
Anambra State Government has announced the closure of its borders after it recorded the second case of coronavirus infection, thus bringing the total confirmed cases in the state to two.
It explained that the second patient who had since been taken to one of the state’s isolation centers by officials of Nigeria Center for Disease Control, NCDC, was a northerner who returned to the state after a short business trip from Kano.
The State Governor, Willie Obiano, while confirming the new case said the businessmen believed to be a cattle dealer started manifesting symptoms of coronavirus after returning to the state on May 6, 2020.
The Governor, while addressing the citizens in a statewide broadcast on Friday, said the patient’s residence has been sealed after and the relevant stakeholders had been deployed to commence contact tracing to mitigate community spread of the virus.
While calling for calm in the state, Obiano noted that the security had been tightened and that the state’s border had been closed for interstate movement as directed by the Federal Government.
“The patient is currently receiving attention in one of our Protective Care Centers while his residence has been sealed off and we have commenced aggressive contact tracing to minimize the wave of community spread that might arise from this case. I urge Anambra people to be calm, as the COVID-19 task force is on top of the situation to ensure that this threat is quickly contained.
“We are aware of the mass movement of young people in groups from most of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. As the Chief Security Officer of Anambra State, I have a responsibility to protect my people from avoidable threats to public health.
“Consequently, we have directed the security agencies to ensure that movement into Anambra State by individuals and groups shall no longer be allowed. We are determined to enforce the federal order restricting movement between states across the country.
“The nationwide curfew must be strictly observed in Anambra State. From now on, there will be no vehicular and human traffic into Anambra State from 8 pm to 6 am. This includes essential goods and services. Every movement into Anambra State must wait until the next morning.
“The fight against Covid-19 is entirely in our hands. If we take full responsibility and conduct ourselves according to the guidelines prescribed by the WHO and NCDC on Covid-19, we shall win this war,” he said.
According to him, adequate arrangements for the containment of the pandemic had been made and that the government had put up other measures to gain early control against the deadly respiratory disease.
The Governor also revealed that the state has commenced special training for frontline workers who are work in the laboratories earmarked for approval as coronavirus testing centers in the state which will start operation next week.
