As Nigeria battles with the scourge of the deadly Corona virus(Covid 19) which is threatening to bring it to a standstill, the Secretary to the Abia State Government, Barr Chris Ezem has advised citizens and residents of the state to keep to the concept of social distancing and directives by the state government to help avert the disease from entering the state.
Recall that the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu recently
approved the implementation of safety measures proposed by the Abia state Inter-Ministerial Committee on Coronavirus which include closure of schools, restrictions of social activities such as burials and weddings to not more than 30 people with a distance of 1.5metres away from each person w
and religious programmes limited to 50 persons only while all transport operators are to carry the stipulated number of persons to avert the spread of the virus among other measures.
Briefing Journalists in his office,Barr Ezem noted that the restrictions will last for four weeks adding that the enforcement committee set up by the state government will swing into immediate action to ensure total compliance from all.
In his words: “We rolled out about eighteen (18) measures to safeguard citizens and residents of the state which we hope will help avert any possible breakdown of the deadly virus in Abia State.
“These policies are for the first instance for four weeks. Assuming there is improvement in the next two weeks, we will relax it but if there’s none, we will extend it. What we are trying to do is to secure the lives of Abians and residents within Abia”.
Ezem further advised Abians to maintain good hygiene practices and environmental awareness pointing out that the first measure in the prevention of the deadly pandemic is self proactive measure which starts from the individual.
He noted that Abia state government is taking proactive steps in ensuring that the virus does not get into the state adding that isolation centres have been created in the three Senatorial zones of the state with eight State owned ambulances, four mobile clinics and private ambulances,positioned across the three geopolitical zones of the State for rapid response, while the staff have also been properly trained with personal protection materials provided.
The Secretary to the state government, further urged the people of the state to call the Abia Tele – Health numbers on 07002242362 for medical attention, once they notice any symptom of Covid 19.
“To the best of my knowledge the state is ready and we pray very hard that this issue does not take us by storm”,Ezem concluded.
