Breaking: New COVID-19 case confirmed in Enugu NEWS

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Breaking: New COVID-19 case confirmed in Enugu

By AdvocateNews on 29/04/2020

Another positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Enugu State raising concern among the residents.

"There is a newly confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in Enugu State. This case has a positive travel history. The confirmed case travelled out of Enugu on the 28th of March 2020 and returned from Jos, Plateau State, 2 weeks ago (14th April 2020).

"This confirmed case developed symptoms on Tuesday 21st April and reported to a frontline health centre in the state on Saturday 25th April 2020. A vigilant health care worker, operating on a high index of suspicion contacted the Enugu State COVID-19 Rapid Response Team, and this case was brought in for sample collection on Monday 27th April 2020. The result returned on the evening of 28th April 2020 as a confirmed positive case," the state Commissioner for Health, Obi Emmanuel Ikechukwu, said in a statement in the early hours of today.

According to him, the patient has been admitted into one of the state's Treatment and Isolation Centres, while contacts are being identified, line-listed and for samples to be taken for testing, adding that decontamination of the residence of this case will also be promptly carried out.

The statement further said: "The Enugu State Government commends our brave frontline health care workers, who continue to professionally discharge their duties.

"The Enugu State Government also wishes to thank the gallant members of our security forces who with our health workers, man our interstate borders and points of entry, day and night. While imploring them to tighten their dragnet in order to avoid further risk of movement of persons not on essential services, across the state's borders.

"The Good people of Enugu State are advised to stay at home, and only go out when absolutely necessary, further when going out, you are strongly advised to wear an appropriate 'cloth' face mask, avoid touching the front of the face mask, and always remove the mask from both ears at once.

"You are advised to practice physical/social distancing of at least 2m (or 6ft) apart from each other, and practice proper respiratory hygiene (cough or sneeze into your elbow, use a tissue if you must and discard immediately into a safe and secure bin. Wash your hands as often as possible with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or the length of time it takes you to sing the happy birthday song twice) or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when there is no facility to wash your hands.

"Finally sanitize surfaces all around you as often as possible with a 1in5 mixture of bleach and water."

However, the news of the fresh case of COVID-19 infection in the state has triggered another round of fear and outrage among the residents of Enugu capital city over the failure of security operatives manning the interstate borders and entry points to effectively enforce the restriction of movement order.

There have been reports of motorists and travellers bribing security men to have free passage into and out of the state through the land borders a development that forced Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to undertake an unscheduled visit to the Enugu - Benue border last week to see things for himself.

He met several commercial vehicles loaded with passengers and goods heading to different directions and promptly ordered their arrest for violating the COVID-19 lockdown and restriction of movement order.

Over 30 vehicles loaded with passengers coming from the northern part of the country were intercepted by soldiers at an Army checkpoint in Nsukka during the governor's visit.

But reports said movements across the interstate borders have continued without the presence of medical experts to test the passenger.

It would be recalled that the two index cases of COVID-19 reported in Enugu State were treated and discharged after testing negative twice about two weeks ago.

Posted 29/04/2020 05:45:47 AM

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