Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has directed the state Inter-ministerial Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic to commence distribution of palliative materials, including food, sanitizers, and protective face masks, to citizens in all the 17 local government areas (LGAs) of the State, from Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
Also, an Aba-based company, Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC), says it is setting up a special engineering unit to produce essential equipment needed by hospitals to support the fight against Coronavirus.
The Governor, through a statement signed by John Okiyi Kalu, the Commissioner for Information, said that the materials are to be given to vulnerable persons using previously identified channels such as churches, state geriatric care agency, town unions and traditional rulers, as well as the existing school feeding programme structure in the State.
Meanwhile, the result of the sample from a woman in Umuahia, which was sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for a test, is reported to have returned negative.
This means that there has not been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Abia State, Kalu said.
“Let all hands continue to be on deck to stop this virus from coming to our state,” he said.
He advised residents of the state to wash their hands regularly, maintain the recommended social distance, and stay at home.
“If you suspect that you or anyone known to you may have contracted the virus, please call 0700 2242 362 and we will take it up from there,” he said.
CIC said it will also build prototypes, design and fabricate moulds for mass production.
Tochukwu Chukwuemeka, founder of the company, told BusinessDay in Aba that the management was willing to collaborate with companies to mass-produce the equipment, as well as make the designs, prototypes and moulds available to the public for easy replication.
He added that CIC would also make available its digital fabrication lab, including 3D printers, CNC machines, Arduino microcontroller boards, and other machines, to any inventor, designer or engineer within Nigeria working to fight Coronavirus.
