ondo state

8 June 2020

Address delivered by Gov Akeredolu

BEING AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OFONDO STATE ARAKUNRIN OLUWAROTIMI O. AKEREDOLU,SAN ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT ON COVID–19 INONDO STATE, ON MONDAY 8TH JUNE 2020, AT THEGOVERNMENT HOUSE GROUNDS, ALAGBAKA, AKURE

Gentlemen of the Media,

  1. As you are aware, Ondo state has recorded a total numberof 19 new active cases of COVID-19 in the last 12 days.This is against the 24 cases announced as at 27th Maywhen I addressed you. These additional 19 new cases addup to make a total of 43 cases as at this morning. Thisfigure is a significant rise from where we were. It is alsofearful and alarming. From what we have seen so far andwith other details available and reported, the trend andpattern of the rise are exponential and pose real dangerand threats than ever before.
  2. Let me provide you details of the individual cases in orderto emphasise the size, shape and seriousness of ourchallenges.
  3. The 25th confirmed case is a business man aged 60 years,who resides at Uso community, Owo LGA. He reported notto have any travel history, and presented with fever, sorethroat, cough and difficulty in breathing.
  4. The 26th confirmed case, a male is an American citizen ofAkure origin who resided at Shagari, Akure South LGA. Hecame home visiting the family and was caught up inNigeria by the lockdown due to the Pandemic. Havingbeen home for not less than 2 months, he fell ill sometime last week showing symptoms of COVID-19. He wasimmediately taken to the hospital where he was referredto the UNIMEDTH Ondo for further examination. Hissample was taken to confirm his COVID-19 status. He diedbefore his result came.
  5. The 27th confirmed case, who is male, aged 59 years, is atrader that resided at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He had no travelhistory but had developed COVID – 19 symptoms includingfever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. His samples werecollected but he died before the result of his test whicheventually came out positive.
  6. The 28th confirmed case, aged 48 years is a businesswoman who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. She reported notto have any travel history outside Ondo State. She alsopresented with fever and difficulty in breathing,
  7. The 29th, 30th and 31st confirmed cases are female. Theyall reside at Oke-Iya, Akure South LGA. They were amongthe 5 contacts of the 23rd confirmed case who werefollowed up for 14 days and tested positive.
  8. The 32nd confirmed case is a male journalist aged 33years who resides at Ore, Odigbo LGA. He is a contact ofthe 28th confirmed case, and developed fever. Hissamples were collected and later returned positive today.
  9. The 33rd confirmed case a male, aged 30 years, is a civilservant who resides at Idepe, Okitipupa LGA. He had notravel history, but had difficulty in breathing.
  10. The 34th and 35th confirmed cases were thecontacts of the 26th confirmed case from Akure township. The 34th case, aged 54 years is a female healthcareworker who works in a private facility and presented withrunny nose. The 35th case, also a female aged 69 years, isa trader who presented with headache. They both testedpositive
  11. The 36th confirmed case is a clergyman aged 59years who resided at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had travelhistory to Lagos where he developed difficulty inbreathing. He returned to Akure and died while receivingmedical attention at Infectious Disease Hospital, Akure
  12. The 37th confirmed case, a male aged 42 years, is atrader who resides at Ondo, Ondo West LGA. He had notravel history but developed fever, cough and diarrhoea.His samples were collected and he died before arrival ofthe test result.
  13. The 38th confirmed case, a female nurse aged 24years, is a private practitioner residing at Alagbaka, AkureSouth LGA. She has no travel history. Her samples werecollected and returned positive
  14. The 39th confirmed case, a female aged 58 years isthe wife of the 36th confirmed case residing in Ondo,Ondo West LGA
  15. The 40th confirmed case, A male artisan aged 75years, resides in Okitipupa town and had no travel history.
  16. The 41st confirmed case is a female trader who wasconfirmed positive in Imo State, escaped isolation and wastracked to Oja-Oba market Akure, Akure South LGA whereshe sells fairly used fabrics and shoes.
  17. The 42nd confirmed case, also a male aged 45years, is an Artisan who resides in Akure town.
  18. The 43rd confirmed case, a female aged 72 years, isa home practice nurse who resides in Akure town
  19. In all, we now have 43 total confirmed cases whilethe local government areas with confirmed cases areAkure South (22), Odigbo (3), Owo (3), Ose (3), AkureNorth (2), Ondo West (5), Okitipupa (2), Akoko South East(1), Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo (1), Ifedore (1).

    • The total cases on admission are 14.
    • Total number of deaths 7
    • Total discharged cases - 22. These are out of 568 totalcases reported, 663 total samples collected and 655 totallab results received. We are currently following 113contacts.

  20. What these tell us is that COVID -19 is fully herewith us and that community transmission is now a reality.For avoidance of doubt and to explain the situation insimpler form, community transmission of COVID - 19simply means the spread of this deadly disease within ourcommunities and within the state from persons to persons.In other words, it is a spread by people who have comeinto contact with those who had earlier been infected
  21. My good people of Ondo state, this record calls forconcern. Indeed, worse days seem to be approachingfaster than we probably anticipated. As a people, we mustmake a choice now, between life and death, betweenhealth and wealth and between stability and unhappiness.We must find a balance between our pleasure and daily freedom on the one hand and the survival and selfpreservation of our society on the other hand. Achievingthe correct balance simply means starting a real combatwith COVID -19 and winning the combat in good measureand in good time.
  22. As you know, Government has spent considerabletime and energy in implementing the standard globalmeasures of preventing the spread of COVID-19, weactivated a guided regulation of market, religious andother social activities. We even reduced the risks inconduct of Government business by authorising workersfrom levels 1 to 12 in the state Civil service to stay homeexcept as otherwise required by their respective ChiefExecutive and Accounting officers. We embarked onmassive media education, orientation and mobilisationthrough the mass media. In all, we asked you, my people,to own this war and drive a community response to the challenge.
  23. Regrettably, it would appear that all these measuresput in place by government have not been properlycomplied with. The threat level remains high while thedanger of undesirable eventualities are here with useveryday. We are not out of the woods yet. In othersocieties where great victories have been won, peoplebelieved that COVID-19 is real. They armed themselveswith faith and action which were sufficient armour againstthe mindless onslaught. These basic protocols that gavethem successes were not different from ours, and therefore the end product was not also expected to bedifferent. While other countries are returning to theirnormal lives, opening their economies, stabilising theirsocial lives and culture, our own case is evidently a clearcase of wrong perception, disbelief, neglect, disregard anddisdain for extant regulations.
  24. The Nigerian Governor’s Forum has consistently reviewed the trends and patterns among the 36 States. We are seriously worried about the implications of the existing measures on the self-preservation, well-being and prosperity of our people. We are resolute to work assiduously with the Federal Government to return our country to the path of social stability, active economy and self-confidence for all citizens and residents.
  25. For example, as a key element of social andphysical distancing, we had directed that only thoseselling food and beverage items should operate in themarkets on approved. Yet our people have disobeyed andshown recklessness and total disregard for their own wellbeing. Individuals selling and buying second hand / fairlyused dresses, shoes, jewelleries, bags, wrist watches,tyres, cosmetics and other irrelevant items have swarmedupon the markets in groups and crowd thus acceleratingthe speed and risk of the spread.
  26. Situations like this call for dire, swift and sustainedmeasures. Government will proceed to take all necessarysteps to reverse this threat to the people of the state. Tothis end the following steps have been approved as ourinvigorated approach to the spread of the pandermic

    • All residents are encouraged to practise, more thanbefore, social and physical distancing, use offacemasks, handwashing and travel restriction
    • All Premiership football viewing centres are herebybanned from operations until further notice.
    • All religious organisations are to further ensurestringent implementation of the agreed guidelines forworship.
    • All our earlier regulations about operations of themain and community markets will be revisited inwhich case law enforcement agencies and theGovernor's Task Force will ensure full enforcement.
    • All members of the public who had patronised thefairly used fabric and shoes stalls at Oja Oba marketin Akure, where our 43rd case was picked up, areadvised in their own interest and for the good of oursociety, to present themselves to our health facilitiesfor immediate testing and proper care, before it is toolate. I urge you to call on our toll-free numbers so youcan get immediate help. There is no shame in illnessand there can be no reproach in seeking and gettinghealing

  27. Meanwhile, we are also expending more energy andresources in building capacity for our Infectious DiseaseHospitals to cope with the challenges. I am happy toinform you that apart from the sustained purchases ofequipment and other medical consumables byGovernment, well-meaning individuals and corporatebodies have also scaled up their interventions to boost ourcapacities. Just last week, the state government tookdelivery of equipment and consumables from the NigerDelta Development Commission (NDDC)
  28. Finally, I wish to thank all our religious leaders fortheir courage and noble efforts at enforcing theprecautionary measures agreed upon before reopeningthe worship activities. I encourage all of us to be strong infaith and action. Let us change our attitude to this deadlydisease. We need to pull together and control ourenvironment against COVID-19. In other words, if you askme, can we win the war? My answer to you is yes. Do wehave what it takes to win? I believe we do. Will we win?Yes, we will win.

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