The Edo State government on Sunday said it was establishing 54 screening centres, with three in each of the 18 Local Government Areas of the state, as part of efforts to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
It is also appealing to residents to report people who returned to the state recently from oversees, by making use of the emergency helplines and other health authorities.
Commissioner for Health, Patrick Okundia, who disclosed the plan on the screening centres to journalists in Benin City, said health workers and other public health professionals had been trained to manage the centres, with the training cascading to different LGAs in the state.
Okundia said the centres, along with the four major testing facilities which include Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), University of Benin Teaching Hospital and General Hospital, Auchi, would serve as examination points to determine whether residents would need to go for further tests for COVID-19.
He, however, urged residents not to panic, as the state government had taken serious steps to curtail the spread.
“The Edo State government has been very scientific and professional in handling the disease and we are recording significant successes. We broke our approach into two, namely, prevention and treatment. This, with the knowledge that prevention is key to handling the infectious disease. We laid our emphasis on the need to prevent the spread through mass sensitisation and awareness creation,” he said.
“We also issued strict guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease, including social distancing. Where we are now is enforcement, and we have charged all security agencies to ensure enforcement. The state has four designated isolation centres,” he added.
He said the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), University of Benin Teaching Hospital and General Hospital, Auchi, had all equipment needed for a functional and effective isolation centre, and that they were working assiduously to increase the numbers.
“We also have screening centres in each of these four facilities where patients can be examined and decisions made whether they will need to go for test or not. These centres are manned by experts. We have commenced the process of creating more screening centres with three in each LGA and trainings are currently ongoing in each LGA for the health professionals who will work in these centres”, he said.
A statement by Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy said the directive on the oversees returnees was part of the people’s contribution to curtailing the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Osagie also said the directive for residents to report returnee friends and family members became necessary to safeguard the health and safety of other residents following the rise in cases of COVID-19 in the State.
“We are appealing to residents to provide information on their neighbours and family members who recently returned from overseas to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
“We must also continue to observe the government’s guidelines against the spread of coronavirus which include the work-at-home order for civil servants, closure of social gatherings of persons above 20 and markets, excluding those trading on essential commodities and imposed stringent guidelines for transporters and hoteliers.
“We urge all Edo residents to strictly adhere to these guidelines as the state government ramps up efforts to prevent community transmission of the disease. We implore everyone to continue to remain calm, stay-at-home and be diligent in following social distancing guidelines if they must go out,” he said.
He however, said the basic precautionary measures and hygienic practices, which include keeping safe social distance, avoiding large gatherings and close contact with sick persons, regular hand washing with soap and use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, must be duly adhered to in order for all residents to be safe and healthy.
