The Ogun state government has postponed the statewide lockdown till Friday, April 3, but insisted that the inter-state and international borders remained closed.
Governor Dapo Abiodun made the disclosure, Monday while commissioning a 128-bed Isolation centre in Ikenne, Ikenne Local government area of the state, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the state.
The governor said the postponement became imperative to enable the state finalise the mechanisms for the distribution of relief materials and food items ahead of the total lockdown.
The Isolation centre was converted from one of the Model schools built by the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun which was named after the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, late Chief Mrs. Dideolu Awolowo.
The governor also disclosed that the COVID-19 test conducted on him to ascertain his health status came back negative.
He also disclosed that the state had commenced the mass production of hand sanitisers, adding that over 100,000 bottles of sanitisers would soon be ready for distribution throughout the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
Speaking on the level of preparedness of the state for the prevention of the spread of Coronavirus, Governor Abiodun said, “The capacity of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Team at both State and LGA levels has been strengthened. Twenty (20) Medical Officers of Health, Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNO) and their assistants, Health Educators, and Environmental Health Officers were trained from each of the 20 LGAs.
“We have trained four hundred and twenty-six (426) health personnel in public, private and paramilitary health facilities (doctors, nurses, laboratorians, environmental health officers etc.) on COVID-19 Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) Eleven (11) Medical Laboratory Scientists have been trained on COVID-19 sample collection.”
Governor Abiodun also said the state had scale up over six Isolation centres scattered around the state for quick response to cases of Coronavirus in the state.
These facilities, according to him are: “the purpose-built 21 bed isolation and treatment centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu; 100 bed capacity General Hospital Iberekodo, Abeokuta, and this Isolation and Treatment Centre in Ikenne with 128 bed capacity.”
Others are: “a 30-bed facility donated by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and a 40 bed facility donated by Mr. Fola Adeola for isolation of suspected cases till they are confirmed”, adding that the 250-bed hospital in Abeokuta, the state capital would soon be ready for use.
The governor seized the opportunity of the occasion to thank well-meaning Nigerians and indigenes of the state who had donated financially and materially to the fight against Coronavirus in the state.
