Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Contrary to speculations that there has been a confirmed case of Coronavirus in Imo State, the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has denied the rumours making round, insisting that the state is yet to record any case.
Uzodinma who stated this in a press statement he issued through his commissioner for information and strategy, Declan Emelumba and made available to Daily Sun in Owerri said although a guest checked into a hospital in Owerri from Abuja but failed to adhere to the isolation rule by the federal government.
Following this development, and the state government not ready to take chances, it ordered that the hotel be sealed up and the guests be quarantined for 14 days.
Clarifying on the speculation, Emelumba said: “The government wants to make  it absolutely clear that there is no confirmed case of the Coronavirus disease in the state.  This clarification is necessary because of the rumour making the rounds that someone had died of the disease in the  state.
“An  Imo son from Ahiazu, Mbaise returned recently from South Africa. He visited a hotel in Umuguma in Owerri and his village in Ahiazu Mbaise. He later flew back to Abuja where he was reported sick and admitted in a hospital. He is alive and is being tested for the virus.
“Because he failed to self-isolate as someone coming from abroad and as a precautionary measure, government ordered that the  hotel he visited be sealed and all staff and guests quarantined for 14 days to observe them for symptoms.
“The state Ministry of Health has also moved to quarantine the village he visited and the villagers will be observed for 14 days also for symptoms.
“If any one from either the hotel or the village is seen to have symptoms he or she will immediately be taken away for further analysis and tests to confirm whether the person has Coronavirus or not,”Emelumba said.
Emelumna recalled that the governor promised in his broadcast on Saturday that everything humanly possible would be done to ensure the safety of citizens of the State.
“These measures are in line with that directive; be rest assured that government is on top of the situation and will do everything to keep Imo people safe,” Emelumba assured.