Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has ordered the total lockdown of the state effective from Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020, after the state’s index case of COVID-19 died on Sunday.

A nurse with the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), popularly known as Doctors Without Borders, had died of COVID-19 in Borno State.

Zulum, in a statewide live broadcast, also ordered the probe of the index case’s death.

The governor in the broadcast said,

Last night (Sunday), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed an index case of COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, in our dear state which took the life of one of us.

Until his unfortunate death, the late health worker dedicated himself to providing humanitarian healthcare services to fellow citizens that were critically affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Borno state will forever be grateful for his services. We are also profoundly grateful to all healthcare service providers, whose dedication to saving lives, will now be needed more than we ever did.

In the exercise of the powers conferred on me, I have signed an executive order, declaring COVID-19 a dangerous disease. For this, I am hereby directing a lockdown that will require cessation of all movements in Borno State for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 10:30 pm on Wednesday, 22nd of April, 2020.

All citizens in Borno State are to stay in their homes. This means all public gatherings are restricted while offices and businesses in Borno State are to be fully closed during this period. Security and intelligence agencies have been briefed for enforcement.

Government will use this period of restriction to accelerate the tracing and isolation of persons who have been in contact with the index case.

covid-19

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.