Covid-19: Plateau among top 20 States, Govt tackles securities

The Nigerian Center for Disease Control, Monday confirmed 242 new cases of COVID19 in Nigeria.

According to its daily update, 88 new cases were recorded in Lagos, 64 in Kano, 49 in Katsina, 13 in Kaduna, 9 in Ogun, 6 in Gombe, 4 in Adamawa, 3 in FCT and one each in, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Borno and Bauchi.

The cases from 27,078 tests done so far, raise Nigeria’s total cases to 4641 with 902 recoveries and 150 deaths.

Lagos State according to the NCDC currently has the highest number of cases – 1,9331, in all, followed by Kano with 666 cases.

The FCT is next with 359 cases, trailed by Katsina with 205, then Borno with 186, and Bauchi with 182 cases.

Ogun is 7th with 126 cases, followed by Gombe and Jigawa – 118 each, then Kaduna – 111 and Sokoto – 106.

Among second ten States with highest cases, Edo – 79, Zamfara – 73, Oyo – 65, Osun – 39, Kwara – 34, Nasarawa – 25, Kebbi – 24, and Rivers – 22 follow each other.

Adamawa is next with 21 cases followed by Plateau on the 20th position with 19 cases (2 added at 6:24am, Tuesday).

Akwa Ibom and Delta have 17 cases each while Ondo has 16, Taraba and Ekiti 15 each, Yobe 13, Enugu 10 and Ebonyi 7. Niger and Bayelsa are lowest with 6 cases, followed by Benue and Abia with 2 cases each, then Anambra 1 case.

As of April 21st, 2020, Plateau was among few States with zero cases. The State had equipped its health centres, designated quarantine centers and imposed movement restrictions early enough to prevent the disease.

No case was therefore recorded within, says the State Governor, Simon Lalong.

All 19 cases were from people who “sneaked” into the State through already shut borders, said Lalong, Sunday in a press statement.

“We will not allow this to continue especially at this time that we are doing contact tracing and working hard to curb community spread,” said the Governor.

On Monday, the Governor toured the State’s entry points to ensure compliance with entry restrictions.

Aat the Forest-Hawan Kibo boundary point in Ryom Local Government, the main entry route to the State, Lalong expressed displeasure that people still enter the State despite restrictions.

He said, “We have given the order that no vehicles should come into the State while trucks should not pass this boundary once it is 6pm, even if it is exempted from the movement restriction.

“I see from the CCTV how these trucks pass and this must stop. I am warning the officers and men here to be more diligent, or face the consequences.”

Lalong visited Ganawuri-Manchok, as well as Jingre-Saminaka boundary entry points and ordered the placement of concrete barriers along illegal routes.

The Governor equally visited health centres designated for Covid-19 treatment, interfaced with Local Government Chairmen as well as inspected a foot-press hand washbasin made by a local engineer, Jerry Mallo.