Worried by the increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Oyo state, the state COVID-19 Task Force has said that the planned community testing would take off this week.
The task force at a meeting Sunday presided over by Governor Seyi Makinde approved the relaxation of the state imposed curfew from 8pm to 5 am across the state.
A statement by the chief press secretary to Governor Makinde , Mr. Taiwo Adisa, stated that the planned community testing, which could not be kick started at the weekend owing to Ramadan fasting festivities and public holidays, would commence by the end of the week.
He said towards this end, the training of health workers who will participate in the exercise will commence in the 10 locations after the holidays.
“The task force, headed by Governor Makinde has approved that the curfew currently in force in the state runs from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. The new directive replaces the initial order which pegs the curfew at between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m,” he said.
Oyo COVID-19 Task Force in the statement said the decision was reached at its meeting presided over by the governor on Sunday and pointed out the state has so far recorded 233 COVID-19 positive cases, while 171 of them are active cases.
The task force stated that a number of creative measures were approved for implementation by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which coordinates the operations of the thematic segments of the containment drives, adding that one of such is the approval of a facility in Ibadan for use as observation and isolation centre for a category of patients after thorough review.
“Agreement has been struck with the management of a facility in Ibadan to provide bed spaces for a number of positive cases, whose status have been well considered by the experts,” the statement read.
The task force urged farmers in the state to take advantage of the decision to stop the curfew at 5 a.m. to enhance their farming activities.
