9th May, 2020
Plateau Government has urged its residents not to panic as the state recorded 10 new cases as announced on Friday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Lar, at a COVID-19 update briefing on Saturday in Jos said residents should adhere to the ground rules on containment of the disease in the state.
“The implication of the new cases is that people should adhere to the ground rules in the state which is maintaining social and physical distancing, personal and respiratory hygiene and use of face masks among others,” he said.
He expressed concern over entries into the state in spite of government’s efforts, saying that interstate border control had been most challenging and a risk factor in the spread of the disease.
Lar said that six out of the 10 new cases were contacts of the first index case, while the others were persons who travelled from Kano and Lagos to the state.
He said following the 10 new cases, the state now had 15 confirmed cases with one already discharged on Thursday from the Jos University Teaching Hospital, where the others were also being treated.
The commissioner said contact tracing had already commenced on the new confirmed cases while urging residents to report the entry of persons to their communities for immediate investigation, to forestall spread.
Secretary to the Plateau Government (SSG), Prof. Danladi Atu, also at the briefing, expressed worry that most of the confirmed cases were from Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
He said it indicated the need for residents in the area to intensify efforts at adhering to preventive measures of the disease.
He expressed worry that the state had recorded community transmission of coronavirus and reiterated the restriction on inter-local government movement for residents, saying it would control community transmission.
Atu said that no fewer than 1,000 persons were stranded at the Plateau/Bauchi border on Friday because of its restrictions.
He stated that interstate border control was critical to controlling the spread of the disease as most of the confirmed cases were travellers from other states.