By Michael Olatunji
- Says pandemic not defeated yet
- as state records 59 of 72 newly confirmed cases from same organisation
- EOC asks residents to avoid large gatherings, follow guidelines
The Oyo State Task Force on COVID-19, on Saturday, asked residents of the state to remain eternally vigilant of the dreaded coronavirus, adding that the State is yet to defeat the virus.
The warning came against the backdrop of the State recording 72 new confirmed cases on Friday.
The Task Force, in a statement by Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, stated that the State would continue to put measures in place to ensure the eradication of the virus in its domain, adding, however, that there was no cause for alarm on the recent development.
“Despite recording 72 positive cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, we want to tell the people of Oyo State that there is no cause for alarm. Fifty-nine of the 72 cases were recorded in a company based in Ibadan.
“What this tells us is that the virus is still very much around and that we all need to always remain vigilant, while adhering to the preventive protocols as enumerated by the experts all along,” the statement read in part.
The Task Force, which is headed by Governor Makinde, further urged the residents to continue to avoid large gatherings, maintain social distancing, stick to sanitation and hygienic practices such as constant washing of hands and use of sanitisers as well as the use of face masks.
According to the statement, 59 of the reported 72 confirmed cases were from a single workplace in Ibadan, while the remaining 13 cases are from the community testing efforts.
The statement added that the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) of the State had, in conjunction with the said company, kick-started contact-tracing, while also putting measures in place to better understand and manage the situation.
The statement said: “We reported 72 confirmed cases of coronavirus yesterday (Friday). Fifty-nine of these are from a single workplace located in Ibadan. The remaining 13 are from the community testing platform in the State.
“The EOC has begun to work closely with the affected organisation to better understand and manage the situation, while contact-tracing of confirmed cases has also been kick started.
“People should understand that the virus is still within our communities, thus there is the need for everyone to continue to comply with the State’s COVID-19 protocols and advisories.
“In addition, there’s need to be very cautious about gatherings, especially within closed spaces like in workplaces, religious sites and social gatherings.”
The statement further indicated that efforts are on to contain the virus and make the State COVID-19-free, pointing out that “there is no need to panic but everyone must be encouraged to take up behaviours that will reduce the spread of the virus within the State.”
