As various countries ferry their nationals from countries hit by the rampaging Coronavirus, the Bauchi State Government on Saturday appealed to the Federal Government not to bring back Nigerian nationals.
“Returning such persons into the country could lead to community transmission and hurt federal government’s largely successful efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19,” Dr Rilwan Mohammed, Chairman of the state’s Contact Tracing and Surveillance Committee, said.
Mohammed made the plea in Bauchi during a one-day training for media practitioners on Risk Communication.
He reminded the federal government that the virus came into Nigeria through movements across national borders, hence the need to restrict movements in and out of the country to end the menace.
“The virus moves as individuals continue to move around; the transmission continues to move across the country with increasing cases.
“We are pleading with the federal government not to return our nationals from abroad because it will affect our efforts to fight the scourge in the very rural communities.
“They should remain wherever they are for now; the refusal to accept that COVID-19 is real caused lots of nations the problems they are facing today.
“Those in Bauchi that tested negative had to be tested for the second time because they are high risk contacts.
“If we lockdown for two weeks, we will break the transmission,” he explained.
He urged media organisations to use various local dialects to sensitise the general public on COVID-19, so as to break the chain of transmission and end the spread using facts as well as relevant and accurate data.
The chairman urged the media, as stakeholders in the fight against the virus and other diseases, to demonstrate the globally accepted six stages of hand washing for better understanding.
On the lockdown, Mohammed said that the state had embarked on contact tracing of some primary healthcare centres in some local governments.
“The lockdown did not take place as scheduled. A driver came from Lagos and passed through Bauchi state.
“The driver stopped over in one facility along Yobe road for treatment and, not long after, tested positive to Covid-19.
“The state has embarked on surveillance to find out the exact facility the driver visited.
“This is the more reason why we should lock down our borders,” he said.
He lamented that COVID-19 had taken much of the attention, leaving the people vulnerable to other diseases, and revealed that four deaths from Lassa Fever were recorded on Friday, April 3.
According to him, three of the deaths occurred in Toro Local Government Area, while one death was recorded in Bauchi Local Government. (NAN)
