ENGINEER SULE APPEALS TO SECURITY AGENTS TO ENFORCE INTERSTATE LOCKDOWN…

With three citizens of the state returning from high risk areas testing positive to coronavirus, Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has appealed to security agents in the country, to ensure they enforce the interstate lockdown.

Engineer Sule made the appeal on Thursday at the Government House, while briefing the press on the activities of his administration to control and contain further spread of the pandemic.

The two new positive cases are females that returned recently to the state from Lagos but were quarantined.

The Governor pointed out that no matter what decisions and steps the state government took, towards protecting the citizens of the state against COVID-19, it still rest with the security agents to enforce such decisions.

Engineer Sule equally appealed to the people of the state to cooperate with government by identifying and reporting returnees from high risk areas, who may have beaten all the checkpoints to return to the state, so they can be isolated.

He said this has become necessary in order for the government to protect the rest of the state from further infection.

Updating the people of the state on the pandemic, Engineer Sule expressed concern that the state has yet again recorded two more positive cases, making a total of three COVID-19 positive cases.

The Governor disclosed that 40 returnees were quarantined at the state owned Isa Mustapha Polytechnic Lafia, having returned home from identified high risk areas.

He added that during the process of quarantining the returnees, government has to ensure samples of the returnees were tested, following which 12 samples were taken, out of which 2 returned positive.

Engineer Sule said the two new positive cases have since been moved from the quarantine centre back to isolation centre at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, where the index case is under isolation.

He explained that the remaining 38 people, out of which 10 already tested negative, will remain quarantined while government monitors them, adding that already 11 other contacts traced to the index case, have also been isolated at the DASH, their samples taken, with the results being awaited.

“I want to use the opportunity once more, to appeal to the people of Nasarawa State to understand the dangers of this pandemic and to cooperate with government when it comes to isolating those returning from high risk states,” the Governor stated.

While showing appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for enforcing the interstate lockdown, Engineer Sule, used the opportunity to express further appreciation to traditional rulers in the state, who have been up and doing, when it comes to the identifying these returnees, as well as the various stakeholders who have worked in one way or the other.

He equally commended the media, that have continued to spread the decisions taken by government and the steps that his administration are taking to protect the state.

The Governor further disclosed that he had earlier met with members of the officials of NURTW, tricycle and motorcycle associations, where he sought their cooperation and understanding towards measures being put in place by government to combat the further spread of coronavirus.

Engineer Sule then called on various stakeholders in the state to join hands with the government in order to deliver a COVID-19 free state.