Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Due to the global spread of coronavirus, Ogun State Government has said all schools will remain closed indefinitely after school hours today.
This was contained in a statement, yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin.
The government had, on Wednesday, banned all high-density gatherings, including religious centres and activities including regular and special services that bring together 50 or more persons in the same place.
The measures, according to the statement, will be reviewed at regular intervals in response to the development surrounding the coronavirus disease.
The state government said there was need to observe global best practice of social distancing as a way of curtailing the spread of the pandemic, noting that people should minimise contact and maintain a distance of, at least, five feet between one another in public places or in public transportation.
It also said non-essential travels should be limited, maintaining the people should avoid high-density gatherings.
While pleading for the understanding of parents, school owners and the entire citizenry to comply fully with all laid down measures, the statement further urged them to offer useful information for the state to respond appropriately to the COVID-19 challenge.
The government, however, enjoined parents and guardians who have their children and wards in any boarding facility within the state to immediately evacuate them and return them to their respective homes at the close of schools today.
In a related development, Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Abiodun Otegbayo, yesterday said there has not been any confirmed case of COVID-19 in the teaching hospital as being speculated.
He also announced the scaling down on non-essential duties, and closure of all schools of the teaching hospital indefinitely, including the School of Nursing, School of Health Information Management, and all agency’s schools to further reduce human traffic in the hospital and as a precaution to prevent infection among numerous students and staff.
Otegbayo made the disclosure during a press conference at the Board Room of the hospital in Ibadan in reaction to the speculation that a patient that tested positive to COVID-19 was on admission in UCH.
According to him, the interaction has become imperative in view of the event of the last 24 hours, which has seen the number of patients testing positive to the Novel Covid-19 increase from three to eight on Wednesday and another four cases yesterday in Lagos, that has brought the number of confirmed cases to 12 in Nigeria, as well as the widely publicised report of a suspected case in Ibadan.
“While the citizenry is encouraged to remain calm, the need to be more cautious and proactive in measures that have been proven to reduce transmission of the virus is expedient and vital at this time in our efforts to control the pandemic.
“Let me quickly debunk the rumour going around that a patient with a positive test to COVID-19 is on admission in UCH. This is not true.
“The truth is that there is a suspected case of COVID-19 infection, who is currently self-isolating and whose blood sample has been sent for test. The result is being awaited, and the details about this suspected case and efforts taken so far had been provided by the Commissioner for Health in Oyo State yesterday (Wednesday).
“One of the potent measures to prevent and control the spread of the virus is the reduction in clustering of large numbers of people and reasonable practice of social distancing,” he said.