Report by Olugbemi Raymond.
Folllwing the yesterday announcement of the Imo index case for COVID-19 by the National Centre for Disease control, the Imo state People’s Democratic Party have accused government of carelessness and insensitivity to the danger the index case poses for the state. An official statement by the Director, New Media of PDP, Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, said the quarantine of all Douglas House staff is compulsory to avoid the deadly virus in IMO state.
Nwaogwugwu expressed worry over situation that the story involving the first covid19 case in Imo was not taken seriously and not telling the people the truth, he further said other states are able to know and isolate the victims on covid19 case, which they informed their citizens.
Nwaogwugwu said: “With the official announcement of covid19 case in Owerri on Sunday, 26 April by the NCDC, Imo has now joined the list of state COVID-19 is affecting and now on the NCDC map as our source earlier said.
“From the information gathered, the infected person, which is the covid19 case, was alleged be a close staff in Douglas House IMO state.
“We hereby request the staff and recent visitors to the IMO state government house be isolated as a matter of urgency with people they have contacts with to avert enormous spread of the virus.” he says
He said to this feats, the curfew and lockdown pronounced on the state by Governor Hope Uzodimma could not actualised its aims therefore, it should be reviewed.
We now have tension in Imo state because of the discovery this deadly covid19 victim in Imo state. journalists in imo state hindered from knowing about the covid19 development in the state much earlier.
All means by our correspondent to discuss with the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba same to the Chief Press Secretary was frustrated.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Kyrian Duruewuru, a member of Imo COVID–19 committee, hinted our correspondent that they took samples in private hospitals and Government House few days ago to be taken for test.
He further said“ for now they can not actually ascertain exact source of the index case, obviously in line with the incompetency of the Imo State Government to make make open the first COVID-19 recorded case in the state.
Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, Mr. Steve Uzoechi,advised journalists to be more careful in going into Imo Government House, Owerri, often.
Uzoechi sees the advice as a necessity, because of the negligence of the state government not availing the state information on the first recorded case of covid19 in imo state.
In a statement, which he personally signed, Uzoechi said: “he suggested a way to the disclosure of covid19 in Imo state – rather very bias announcement, I am appealing to all Correspondents’ Chapel to embrace precautionary measure henceforth as covid19 could affect anyone. It can be anyone or anyone can be infected.
“I specifically beg our members in the government house to be extraordinarily careful of themselves because of the traffic to and fro within the government house.”
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