After the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bayelsa State, the State Governor, Douye Diri has ordered a one week total lockdown, exempting essential duties.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Douye Diri imposed the lockdown on Monday during a state wide broadcast, revealing the COVID-19 index case in Bayelsa is a 49 years old female.
During the broadcast, Douye Diri, in his address, pleaded with Bayelsans to continue to adhere to the established preventive protocols against the virus.
The address reads: “I announce with regret that we have joined the league of states with the COVID-19 pandemic. This is coming over eight weeks since the first case was announced in Nigeria.
“The index case in Bayelsa is a 49 years old female. She has since been evacuated to the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) Isolation Center for further management.
“As a procedure to stop the spread, we have started tracing all her contacts while necessary environmental decontamination will be carried out immediately at the Bayelsa Specialist Hospital where she was hospitalized.
“Following the latest sad development, I have placed a one week compulsory stay at home, except those on essential duties, beginning from midnight today.
“I plead with Bayelsans and others who reside in the state to continue to adhere to the established preventive protocols against the virus.
“It is a battle we can win but to achieve that feat, we must work together with complimentary efforts. This is not the time to panic. It is also not the time to spread falsehood. I assure you that it will end in victory!”
Recall that Dr Inodu Akpoku, the Chairman, Bayelsa COVID-19 Task Force implementation Committee had earlier confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the State.
He said that the state had prepared well to handle the situation, revealing that the affected woman had been quarantined at one of the isolation centres in Bayelsa.
The chairman said that the government was preparing a detailed statement on the case which would be made public.
“We have recorded one case and she is a woman and she has been moved to the isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) at Okolobiri in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
“There is absolutely no need for panic because the Bayelsa government is adequately prepared for this.
“We have at no fewer than three isolation centres and well trained medical professionals to tackle the pandemic.
“We appeal to the people to take their personal hygiene more seriously and we have emphasised the use of face masks by residents in addition to other protocols put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“In addition, people should ensure they take more of fruits and vegetables in their diet as it boosts the immune system.
“In addition to complying with the hygiene protocols, good nutruition is also recommended,” he said.
The NCDC has listed the case in Bayelsa as one of the 91 new cases of the COVID-19 confirmed in Nigeria on Sunday.