The Governor of Lagos State, Governor Sanwo-Olu, in the wake of the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the state, has allayed the fears of most Lagosians and Nigerians in general, by assuring them that there will be no such thing as the prohibition of public gatherings and regular activities in the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu speaking for the first time since the news broke of a coronavirus in Lagos on Monday 28th February 2020, at a press conference at the Statehouse in Alausa, confirmed earlier reports about the first coronavirus case in Nigeria. He said:
“Dear Lagosians, the identified COVID-19 patient is an Ogun State-based expatriate who flew into Lagos from Milan in Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on Monday evening.
We received a report on the possible identification of a patient with coronavirus in Ogun State and we immediately triggered all levels of bio-security responses/containment facilities.
After a series of laboratory examination, the patient was confirmed to have tested positive to the virus in early hours of today (Friday) He is currently in a stable condition at the Bio-security facility in Yaba, Lagos Mainland, where he is being isolated.
We have alerted the Federal Authorities, including the President and everybody who needs to be aware.
We are also constantly in touch with the company where the patient was engaged and the management/personnel have so far been cooperative.
We are currently tracing a number of individuals who had physical contact with the patient before the virus was diagnosed, while others are being examined for possible symptoms.
Health workers and emergency officials are also on the field to track all individuals who had physical contacts and interaction with the patient. Our bio-security facilities have been fortified to contain any other potential case.
We are also in touch with the Federal Ministry of Health to harmonise our response to the incident.
For us in Lagos, we are doing everything that needs to be done to contain a potential outbreak. The patient is stable and every health intervention required is currently being given to him.
Please note that there would be no prohibition of public gatherings and regular activities in Lagos despite the diagnosed case of COVID-19, as such measures may give rise to needless panic among the general public. The condition of the patient is not “highly contagious” at the moment, and the State would only ban outdoor gatherings in the case of escalation in the person-to-person transmission of the virus.
I wish to reiterate that there should be no cause for panic among Nigerians over the reported COVID-19 incident as measures have been set in motion by the State and Federal governments to contain the spread of the virus across the country” he said.
Meanwhile, why the Governor has said that there will be no prohibition of public gatherings here are some precautions as listed by Lagos State Health Commissioner Mr Abayomi on the Coronavirus:
Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, and use alcohol-based hand sanitises.
Maintain at least 1 & half metres (5 feet) distance between you and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
People coughing persistently or sneezing should stay indoors or keep a social distance, but not mix with a crowd.
Ensure that you and people around you follow good respiratory hygiene by covering mouths and noses with a handkerchief or tissue while sneezing or coughing. You can also sneeze or cough into your sleeve at the bent elbow. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Stay indoors if you feel unwell with symptoms, such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.