COVID-19: Rainstorm blows Kogi isolation centre away

Kogi State isolation centre is in ruins following rainstorm in major parts of the State on Wednesday.

When our correspondent went on sight seeing after news filtered into Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, tarpaulin which were erected by Kogi State Action Committee on COVID-19 were seen blown away by the rainstorm.

Coronavirus is ravaging the country, but the Kogi State Government insisted that there is no case of the pandemic in the State.  This claim is inspite of the fact that Kogi State has barely carried out tests on citizens to ascertain their coronavirus health status.

Yahaya Bello has been heavily criticised for paying lip and lackadaisical attitude in the handling of of coronavirus epidenic.

Pressured by heavy criticism, he moved for the first time in three months that the pandemic debuts in Nigeria where he drew a road map against the pandemic in the state on Monday, and inaugurated a 29-man squad headed by his deputy, Edward Onoja to manage the situation.

At its maiden meeting, the group confirmed that there has been no reported case of the coronavirus disease in the state. It, however, streamlined measures to combat the virus whenever it debuts in the state.

A major step is the creation of an Isolation/Containment Center at the FAREC Clinic at GRA Lokoja. This was made known by Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information and Communication in an interaction with journalists.

The group confirmed that there has been no reported case of the coronavirus disease in the state. It, however, streamlined measures to combat the virus whenever it debuts in the state.

A major step is the creation of an Isolation/Containment Center at the FAREC Clinic at GRA Lokoja. This was made known by Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information and Communication in an interaction with journalists.

“The committee agreed that the pandemic is more serious than earlier thought; hence the need to deal with it with all the seriousness and commitment it deserves.

in what looks like a serious business, the so called Isolation is a mere child play, a joke of the highest order, though the state seems to move largely depends on a non existing app that the governor claimed is very effective, but the early rain in lokoja has exposed the hypocrisy of the state COVID-19 team, and as lucky may have it non is the isolation if not, it would have been another story entirely.

The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has said the state developed a mobile application that residents can use to ascertain whether persons with symptoms of coronavirus should report for testing.

Bello, who spoke on Sunday Politics, a live programme of Channels Television, also stated that three isolation centres had been set up in the state.

He said, “So far, we have established about three isolation centres in the state. As God would have it, we have not recorded any issue…

“What we did was to develop an app that we launched and ensured that all citizens in Kogi State have access to that particular app.

“We carry out serious sensitisation and whoever is exhibiting any symptom, if you just simply log on to that app and follow the simple instruction, you will know whether you should come for any test or make any adverse report.”

The governor added that he had been “following up periodically and looking at the report as it comes.”