Ondo State is set to have an effective Coronavirus Testing Centre soon in Akure, the state capital. The decision is to enhance and fast track the testing of the virus for proper and immediate attention.
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who gave the hint on Monday, June 15, 2020, during the weekly media briefing on the deadly disease at the Government House in Akure, expressed worry over the rise in the new cases of the Coronavirus infection in the state in the last one week.
The governor said all the equipment for the testing centre had arrived Lagos, adding that the equipment would be installed in Akure in the next two weeks.
He, however, asked all residents to take charge of the fight to stop the spread virus to prevent it from its continued attack on the people’s daily life.
Governor Akeredolu, while decrying the new 30 cases recorded in the last one week in the state, described the trend as dangerous and harmful because the spread of the virus made everyone vulnerable.
He said: “It is very important to note that the spread is now in all the four corners of our state. It has found habitat in all the three senatorial districts.
“From the Northern District through the Central to the Southern District, the raw facts stare us in the face that as individuals and communities, our efforts are not enough to protect us and our loved ones. Indeed, we are facing the consequence of neglect and self-denial.
“From what we have seen so far, the danger and threats are far from being over and the number of our citizens infected may soar higher unless something drastic is done.”
In spite of the rise in the cases of the coronavirus attack, the governor assured that the state government would deploy more energies to prevent its spread.
Besides reminding the people of the state of his earlier entreaty to be active and own the campaign against the pandemic, the governor asked them to emulate the people of Ilara-Mokin who strictly followed the implementation of the response protocols.
Akeredolu recalled that a man got infected in Lagos and died on his way home to Ilara-Mokin.
According to the governor, the man’s family members, who were oblivious of the implications, buried him immediately. But the Ilara-Mokin community, under the leadership of the traditional ruler and other stakeholders, understood the risk, the threats and the possibilities.
Akeredolu said: “They simply adopted and domesticated the state government’s standard protocols of control. They shut down their town and began immediate line tracing of all known contacts to the corpse.
“They promptly organised a town meeting, locked down market activities, church, mosque and other religious and social activities until further notice. Their objective was to save their own lives and to kick out Covid 19 from their community.”
