The Ekiti Government on Wednesday said it would prosecute a positive case of COVID-19 who defied the interstate travel ban to enter the state from Katsina State.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the woman, who came from Katsina to visit her husband working in the state, was discovered to have contracted COVID-19.

The discovery was made after her husband, a soldier, alerted the task force when she started manifesting symptoms of the disease on arrival.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, alleged at the media briefing of the State COVID-19 Team in Ado-Ekiti that the woman had committed an offense.

” Though it was the husband who alerted us, it was an offense against the state and the Ministry of Justice will take appropriate actions against her at the right time,” she said.

The commissioner added that the woman’s husband, who was the only contact, had been quarantined for 14 days in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.

” Let me also tell the public that all the patients in the isolation centres are stable and responding to treatment. Those who are persistently positive to testing are still being kept. With the level we have gone, we have nothing to worry about.

” The only fear we have is the fact that the curfew has been relaxed and people are not observing social distancing. People are still coming into the state through the borders via forceful and illegal means,” the commissioner said.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Health, Dr Jimlas Ogunsakin, also said seven people who returned to the state from Kano and three females who allegedly entered Ekiti from Oyo State had been quarantined.

” We got several tip-offs from people and we acted on them. The Kano returnees came to Adeparusi Estate in Adebayo, Ado Ekiti and some came to Atinkankan area.

” We got the information from the public and we got them arrested and they were quarantined immediately,” he said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, said the government had constituted an Environmental Task Force to monitor compliance with protocols at market places, worship houses and banks

Olumilua also disclosed that security agencies from Friday had been given the marching order to arrest those not using face masks, saying they would be prosecuted.

 

NAN