By Ebuka Okafor, Awka
The man, who hailed from the northern part of the country, was believed to be a dealer on cattle and returned to Anambra State on May 6, 2020, only to start manifesting symptoms of COVID-19.
He was picked up by officials of Nigeria Center for Disease Control, NCDC, and taken to one of the isolation centres in the state.
In a broadcast to the people of the state during which he announced the new case of COVID-19, Governor Willie Obiano confirmed that the new case returned from Kano after a short business trip.
The governor said: “It is saddening that despite our efforts to tighten security at the boundaries, this new case was able to sneak back into Anambra State after a trip to Kano. He is currently receiving attention in one of our Protective Care Centers.
“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 epicentres 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.
“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 8pm to 6am. 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.
“God has been on our side. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, we have had only two positive cases in Anambra State. We have made adequate arrangements for the containment of the pandemic. There is, therefore, no need for panic. I urge you to go about your business lawfully and in strict compliance to the protocols of COVID-19.”
Obiano added that he had received assurances that the two laboratories in the state earmarked for approval as Covid-19 testing centres would start operating fully from next week, explaining that special training for professionals who would work in the laboratories had commenced.
The training centres, he said, would help the state ramp up the numbers in terms of testing and ensure immediate containment of any possible outbreak.