As part of a proactive measure against the spread of coronavirus pandemic, Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, yesterday approved the release of N500 million for the state’s newly inaugurated COVID-19 response team.
The team, which was inaugurated by Ayade at the open field of the Governor’s Office, Calabar, was also given 20 vehicles to support its operations.
The mandate of the response team, according to the governor, is to safeguard the state against the global scourge.
Ayade used the opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to give special treatment to the state as a result of its strategic border location.
“Cross River is an international border state, and with the incident in Cameroon, I call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Health minister to treat Cross River in a peculiar way. We need the obvious and express attention of the Federal Government,” he said.
He charged the team, headed by Commissioner for Health, Betta Edu, to ensure all preventive measures against the spread were adhered to.
The governor said it is his administration’s desire to ensure Cross River remained COVID 19-free.
Ayade said: “You are all aware that there is no unanimity about the history of this global pandemic but Cross River, as a state governed by two professors, must find ways and provide a leading direction at the sub-national level.
“It is therefore, our desire to ensure Cross River continues to maintain zero incidence as far as this pandemic is concerned. To achieve this, we are hereby setting up this task force whose core mandate is to guarantee the full implementation of the lockdown of our borders to ensure medicines, food supplies and welfare packages are available to our people.
“We are sensitive to the challenges of locking down a state where people have barely earned their last salary, therefore, the social sensitivity of our lockdown must reflect in the subsequent actions we take.
“Against this background, I am setting up this task force with sub-committees. As I said before, this task force is to realise a COVID 19-free Cross River.”
Governor Ayade lamented the effect of partial lockdown on the people but assured them of palliative measures to cushion the effects.