GESI NEWS: A medical doctor has tested positive for COVID-19 in Bayelsa State, bringing the number of active cases in the state to two.
Governor Douye Diri announced the new confirmed case on Tuesday during a meeting with the COVID-19 Taskforce team in Yenagoa.
A press release by his Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr.
Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that the doctor, who is a staff
of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, was earlier admitted at a private
hospital before he tested positive for the virus.
His travel history showed that he came into the state from a
trip to neighbouring Delta State.
The hospital has been shut down for decontamination to
commence.
The governor, who noted that five positive COVID-19 patients
had been successfully treated and discharged, cautioned frontline medical
personnel handling active cases to adhere strictly to laid down protocols.
Arising from the resolutions taken by the taskforce, Senator
Diri directed that the presidential directives of inter-state lockdown be
adopted for another two weeks as well as the dusk-to-dawn curfew of 8pm to 6am.
He equally stated that the stay-at-home order for civil
servants on grade levels 01-12 be extended for another two weeks as part of
strategies to contain the spread of the scourge.
Diri further directed the Head of Service, Mrs Biobelemoye
Onyeama to liaise with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, the Chief
Medical Director of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital and his counterpart
at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa as well as the Director of Public Health
to devise a plan on the gradual return to work of the affected civil servants.
On the issue of worship centres maintaining the social
distancing order, the governor permitted Muslims in the state to hold the
forthcoming Eid-el Kabir prayers but stressed the need for them to observe all
the rules and regulations on COVID-19.
He also relaxed the order on burials in the state but
directed that all mortuaries sign an undertaken with the deceased families to
abide by the COVID-19 protocols.
"During such burials, there shall be no social
gathering, including daytime or night reception or dance," he said.
The governor further stated tha all VIPs and those on
essential services coming into the state must submit themselves to screening at
the boundary points.
Senator Diri, who observed that the state government had not
received any donations from the federal government and the World Health
Organisation, however highlighted a number of donors that had assisted the
state both in kind and in cash towards mitigating the impact of the dreaded
virus.
The donors are former President Goodluck Jonathan, who
donated 1,000 bags each of rice and beans while the immediate past governor,
Honourable Seriake Dickson, gave N10 million.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, also made a
donation of two motorised modular fumigators while one Mr. Freeborn David
donated 150 face masks.
Others are First City Monument Bank, Yenagoa branch 114 cartons
of instant noodles, 979 10kg bags of rice, 80 packets of face masks, Ecobank
350 10kg bags of rice, 370 5kg bags of garri, Academic Staff Union of
Universities Port Harcourt zone 100 milligrams of 500 bottles of sanitisers as
well as the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Bar Association 50 bottles of 200
milligram sanitisers.
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