Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has announced that the period of the lockdown in the State will be used to fumigate our markets and public places, deliver critical supplies of sanitizers, masks and other preventive essentials to those most in need and ensure that this disease is not given room to thrive within state.
The Governor, who announced this in a State wide broadcast, maintained that, “As your Governor, I thought it imperative that I update you on 4 areas of concern which are the strategies we are employing to ensure we do not record the disease in Abia State; things we are doing to prepare in the unfortunate event that we record cases in Abia State; steps the Abia State Government is taking to ensure the sustenance of the lives and livelihood of our people within this period and lastly, details of how to assist and the assistance we have received so far.”
He made it clear that Abia State does not yet have a single case of Coronavirus but are taking steps to prevent our people from ever contracting this disease in keeping with the age-long truism that prevention is better than cure.
He reiterated that Covid-19 is not a death sentence and contracting it does not mean the end explaining that Coronavirus has a very high recovery rate as 8 of those who contracted it in Lagos have tested negative and have been discharged from the hospital.
While maintaining that every life in Abia State matters to him as the Governor, he insisted that it is his duty to ensure that if he could avoid it, not one person contracts the virus in Abia State.
Dr. Ikpeazu commended the Federal Government for the efforts it has taken so far in dealing with the situation and expressed confidence in the capabilities of the managers of the pandemic at the Federal level to effectively contain it.
According to him, “Our strategy in Abia State is 2-pronged. We are emphasizing complete prevention of the disease in Abia State and in the unlikely event that the virus gets to Abia State, management of its spread and impact.
“To this effect, we are poised to do everything possible to shut out this virus from our shores and we need everyone’s cooperation to succeed. We must all come together to shut it out at the same time. If you shut it out and your neighbor engages in harmful practices, it may still get in so it is important that we are all collectively vigilant.
“1. We continue to urge Abians to remain calm, observe stringent personal hygienic practices and wash their hands as often as possible with soap and running water as this has been proven to be one of the most potent methods of preventing the spread of the disease.
“2. As of midnight yesterday, March 31, 2020, a full lockdown of the state came into effect in line with the notice that had been earlier given to that effect. This also entails the closing of all land borders in Abia State for an initial period of 2 weeks subject to weekly reviews as we monitor the situation. Security operatives have been deployed to enforce this directive and ensure full compliance. This is to ensure that carriers of the disease from other states do not bring it into Abia State.
“3. May I also reiterate the directive against non-essential movements within Abia State during this period. This automatically means that all forms of events including burials, weddings and other social gatherings are to be put off. I am not unmindful of the disruptions to lives and livelihoods that these measures will entail but I want to remind us that health and life is paramount and every other consideration has to take second place.
“4. We are also intensifying the enforcement of our earlier restriction of all religious gatherings. I am personally appealing to religious Leaders in the state to abide by this directive in the best interest of their members and the people of Abia State. I commend all the Church Leaders who have so far complied with the directive by issuing circulars to that effect and urge all those who are yet to comply to do so to avoid a situation where they have to be forcefully shut down indefinitely by security agencies for endangering the lives of Abians. Even the Bible urges religious leaders to respect the directives of those in authority.
“5. Essential services critical to daily livelihood that are exempted from these restrictions according to prevailing global and national standards are Hospitals and Medical Establishments, Pharmacies and Medical Supply Outlets, Government and Private Security and Paramilitary Agencies, Accredited Journalists, all Food Production, Processing and Retail outlets, Petroleum and Cooking Gas retail outlets and their vehicles, Supermarkets and consumer goods shops, Banks, Utility Companies as well as statutory Government officials in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches. These categories of people are expected to have their identification tags at all times and their establishments are to continue to observe the highest standard of hygiene.
“6. I have directed the intensification of the sensitization campaign we embarked upon in the state using private and government-owned media houses. Furthermore, I have directed that more Igbo versions of their sensitization materials be produced in order to reach more Abians in rural areas. In the same vein, all LGA Transition Committee Chairmen have been directed to enlist town criers to support the sensitization effort.
“7. Different Task Forces have been set-up to enforce all of these directives. I wish to urge Abians to comply accordingly to avoid undue hassles and embarrassments. Again, these measures are for the good of the larger population of Abians and we urge full compliance by all affected,” Ikpeazu said.