Arrangements have been concluded for 44,000 poor households to benefit from the Cross River state government free-foods programme aimed at cushioning the effects of the partial lockdown of the state due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Chairman of the Cross River State Covid-19 Rescue Team, Dr Betta Edu, made this known, Friday in Calabar, while briefing journalists on government’s efforts to combat the virus in the state.
Edu, who is also the Commissioner for Health, disclosed that for the food to reach the targeted vulnerable people, the state government would rely on the World Bank Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) programme which indicated that there were 44,000 vulnerable families in the state.
She said the Response Team had already procured rice, garri, plantain, yams, a,omg others for distribution following Governor Ben Ayade’s directives.
“In line with Govenor Ben Ayade’s directives we have procured food already for distribution to the vulnerable people in the society consisting of 44,000 households. The state government has the interest of the people at heart. The gesture is to ameliorate the vulnerable in this critical stay at home period,” she stated.
On the issue of sanitizers, Dr Edu said 5,000 bottles of alcohol-based sanitizers have been produced and ready for distribution to residents.
According to her, “As a state government, we have also produced 5,000 sanitizers ready for distribution. We are expecting another 5,000; although we have the challenge of bottles.”
Speaking further, she said samples that were taken from the suspected Covid-19 patients in the state came out negative, adding that Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed Cross River as Covid-19 free.
