Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has gone into self-isolation based on the advice of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to governors that attended the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

He disclosed this during a a live tweet chat on Saturday, which was monitored in Ibadan, the state capital.

Makinde explained that governors that attended the last NEC meeting in Abuja had contact with a person that has tested postive to COVID-19, adding: “So, we were all advised to self-isolate and test. I have been in self-isolation since then.”

The governor made it known that he has gone into self-isolation less than 24 hours after he imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in the state, banned inter-state transportation, ordered closure of markets and reduced gathering of people from 30 to 10 persons as parts of measures to combat the spread of Coronavirus in the state, effective from 7pm on Saturday March 28, 2020.

Makinde also tweeted about the compliance of members of the public to all directives issued to curb the spread of the disease in the state, warning that “if anyone is violating our directives, we have an enforcement team, which will ensure that they comply.

“If it is a gathering of more than 10 persons, for instance, they will be dispersed. If it is a nightclub, we will seal it up until the ban is lifted.”

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Makinde further stated that testing capacity in the state is limited, saying the state has improved this by setting up two diagnostic centres in collaboration with the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. More people, he said, would be able to be tested once NCDC certifies the facilities.

He assured the people that setting up testing centres in the state would enables “us to test more people which means that people showing symptoms can get tested regardless of their travel history.”

Makinde also tweeted: “We are stepping up both enlightenment campaigns and enforcement measures, of course, if we have sustained community transmission, we will have to implement cluster lockdowns which are more effective than general lockdowns.”

He further stated that the order placed against social and religious gatherings was for all religious organisations, saying his government has not targeted any particular religion and that Coronavirus affects all.

On the number of isolation centres in the state, the governor tweeted the state now has four-bed isolation unit in Ogbomoso, 10-bed at Jericho in Ibadan, four-bed at UCH and 100-bed capacity at Olodo, which, he said, would be ready this Thursday April 2, 2020.

“Also, Tristate Hospital, Ibadan has offered 40-bed capacity, including eight ICU beds with three ventilators and four more on order. The ICU beds in the state currently have ventilators. We are also collaborating with private hospitals. As I stated earlier, Tristate Hospital has offered their facilities which includes ventilators.

“We have Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers in all 33 Local Government Areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas. Also, the local government caretaker chairpersons are involved in enlightenment campaigns and implementation of directives.”