COVID-19: NCDC officials flee Kogi following Gov. Bello’s isolation directive

Officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, have reportedly fled Kogi State shortly after Governor Yahaya Bello’s directive, asking them to go into isolation at the state quarantine centre for fourteen days. Governor Bello had ordered the leader of the officials of the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Andrew Noah to go into isolation at the state quarantine centre for fourteen days or leave the state immediately if they refused.

The governor gave the order Thursday night when the visiting NCDC official shook hands with the state Director of Protocol while exchanging microphone after speaking to introduce his team to the audience. The governor said that the step was to ensure that the laid down procedure of checkmating the scourge by NCDC is strictly followed.

“Our people are adequately sensitised in all languages and locations throughout the state about Covid-19. As much as practicable Kogites now observe social distancing, handwashing and other protocols for prevention of infection.

“The Kogi State Ministry of Health has deployed health personnel to all the 239 Wards of the State, 2 focal persons per ward, who constantly sensitize the people on the dangers of the virus, communicate news or even rumours of suspected cases to the incident committee or task force for investigation and also assist in contact tracing. “We have set up 3 modern Isolation/ Containment Centres in the State having a combined capacity of 130-bed spaces.

These facilities currently lie unused. It is our prayer and our determination that these isolation centres will remain vacant until the pandemic is over. “We have provided emergency and toll-free numbers for the general public to call in and report suspected cases of Covid-19 at no cost whatsoever. We have also fielded many of such calls.

All of them turned out to be false alarms upon investigation and did not meet the criteria from the NCDC for cases which should be sampled for testing. “In the circumstances, we cannot manufacture cases in order to be counted among the states which have recorded same. As a Governor I hear there are ‘benefits’ for having Covid-19 cases in your state, well, I am not interested”.