Members of the Abia State Committee on the coronavirus pandemic set up by the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, to help fashion out modalities on how to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic in the state, have expressed satisfaction over high level of compliance of the directive of the state government.
DAILY POST recalls that the Abia State government had last announced the lockdown of economic and social activities of the state as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19 in the state.
The government’s directive on lockdown commenced on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 across the state.
But, speaking to newsmen on Thursday, after the monitoring of the compliance by Abia indigenes, the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19, and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Chris Ezem, commended Abians and most especially, the traders while observing that the lockdown has disrupted the livelihoods of the people, assured that a food security team is working out a palliative intervention for Abia residents.
Also, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Osuji, the Chairman of Enforcement Committee on COVID-19, Dr.Solomon Ogunji, and the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Rt. Hon Cosmos Ndukwe, in their respective speeches, revealed that Abia state recorded 70 percent compliance on the first day (Wednesday), adding that the team would ensure that Abia residents will comply to the directives of the State government which will last for an initial period of seven days,
Our correspondent reports that the Enforcement Committee was accompanied on the monitoring exercise by members of the press, security personnel, Department of State Security Service (DSS), Nigerian Police,the Civil Defence,the Nigerian Army, the NDLEA, TIMAAS, Environmental Health Officers among other government personnel.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has assured Abians and other residents of the state of his administration’s preparedness and determination to ensure they are safe from the dreaded coronavirus.
The Governor, who gave the assurance in Umuahia, the state capital, enjoined Abians and other residents to adhere strictly to the advice and guidelines provided by medical experts on how to guard against contracting the deadly infection, including; regular and proper hand washing, use of sanitizer, avoidance of handshake, avoidance of crowded places, general social distancing among others.
According to Ikpeazu, “Coronavirus is not a death sentence but an ailment that requires community effort to deal with. Everyone of us has a role to play in preventing the disease from coming to our state”.
The Governor further said that the State has no case of the virus so far and expressed hope that together, Abia will be among States that will remain free and survive the scourge.
