Following the infection of two cabinet members for Coronavirus disease in Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong and members of his family again went for another round of tests which came out negative to COVID-19.
The governor and his household were first tested for the disease in April, which came out negative.
A statement by the governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs Dr Makut Macham, on Sunday, in Jos, said COVID-19 was not a death sentence.
He also advised members of the public to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing of others.
Following the infection of the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Abe Aku, and subsequently the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr Noel Donjur, Lalong ordered other members of his cabinet to go on self-isolation beginning on July 1 and test of COVID-19.
“I have continued to encourage people to subject themselves to COVID-19 test which is very important for us to determine the magnitude of the disease and level of the spread in order to curb further spread and treat people before they get to critical stages.
“Submitting myself and family to another test was therefore necessary as part of leadership by example and also responding to the recent cases of one of my Commissioners and Chief of Staff who were confirmed positive,” the statement quoted Lalong saying.
He reiterated the need for the public to adhere to the guidelines established to combat the disease such as the mandatory use of facemasks, social distancing, hand washing and the use of sanitizer.
He said the testing capacity in Plateau has increased as more people were being tested daily at the National Veterinary and Research Institute (NVRI) Laboratory and the TB Reference Laboratory at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.
The governor said effort was also being made for the testing of COVID-19 at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital.
“As at 5th July 2020, about 6,000 people have been tested so far in the State,” he said.
Lalong also stressed the continuous enforcement of compliance to COVID-19 guidelines particularly in public places and the sanction of defaulters.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said the state currently has 436 Coronavirus cases.