Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Governor Aminu Bello Masari has ordered a total lockdown of Kankia, Matazu and Musawa local government areas following confirmation of nine additional COVID-19 cases in the state.
This brings to a total of 39 confirmed cases with two fatalities including that of the index case from Daura.
A press statement on Thursday by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, said the lockdown would take effect from 7 am on Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) having established a case of COVID-19 in each of the affected areas.
“The people of Kankia, Matazu and Musawa local government areas are therefore strictly warned to stay at home as security agents will be deployed to ensure total compliance in order to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.”
This brings to 10, the number of local government areas under lockdown out of the 34 local government areas in the state.
Meanwhile, six out of the 14 Covid-19 patients at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina have been discharged and sent home, according to the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Bello Suleiman Muhammad.
Muhammad who spoke with reporters at the Government House on Thursday said that the patients were hospitalised for about 19 days.
He said that the youngest patient, aged two-and-half years along with five others were from Daura while the remaining eight patients were responding to treatment.
The COVID-19 presence wss first noticed in Katsina State with the index case of a deceased medical doctor in Daura with a total of 166 primary contacts traced to him alone, according to Masari.
Other parts of the state with a high number of contacts traced to confirmed cases also include, Katsina 52, Dutsinma 110, Mani 20 and Batagarawa 46.