Seyi Makinde Orders All Civil, Public Servants In Oyo State To Stay At Home Indefinitely

As part of measures put in place by the Oyo State government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government, on Wednesday, directed civil and public servants in the employment of the state, local governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to stay off work for the next two weeks starting from Friday, March 27.

A statement personally signed by Governor Seyi Makinde and made available to newsmen in Ibadan, indicated that civil/public servants across all cadres in the state should stay off work as the state continues to evaluate the situation.
The governor, however, noted that only persons on essential services are allowed to remain on duty for now.

According to the state government, the directive to shut down the state and local government secretariats was coming on the heels of earlier directives to close the schools and the ban on religious and social gatherings.

The statement added that a team of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was already in the state  to support activities aimed at containing the virus by the government.

He stated that the government had put in place all precautionary measures needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the good people of Oyo State.

The governor added that ao far, the index case of coronavirus in the state is responding to treatment, noting that those who have had contact with the index case were already in self-isolation.

He stated that Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force Enforcement Team and a number of sub-committees have been been put in place, while an enforcement committee flagged off activities on Wednesday.

According to the state governor, surveillance and contact-tracing of some persons who recently returned to Nigerian from different coronavirus-infected countries was ongoing, while those already tracked are being closely monitored.

The governor said: “Our Emergency Operation Centre is already fully operational. It will interest the public to know that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has already sent a team of experts that is working in collaboration with our technical team on COVID-19. The area of collaboration covers training as well as the immediate setting up of a Diagnostic Centre that will make testing less stressful while at the same time eliminating the time between sample collection and results.

“I am also pleased to tell our people that the NCDC team has completed the  training of our officials who will man the diagnostic centre and that we are positive that the centre would be ready for NCDC certification by the end of the week.

“Some persons would want to question why we are spending big to put up a diagnostic centre. The time lag between the collection of samples and receipt of results make the setting up of the centre imperative. The experience we have with the index case appears almost frustrating as the sample took long hours before getting to the National Reference Centre in Lagos.

“When the diagnostic centre is eventually set up, it will make a huge impact on the health infrastructure in place for the management and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Oyo State,” the governor said.

The statement also indicated that besides locking down the Oyo State Secretariat and local governments in the state, the COVID-19 Task Force and other sub-committees have commenced engagement and sensitisation drives around the markets, motor parks and mechanic workshops.
“They are also engaging with other artisans and the message is simple; it is only when you are alive that you can ply your trade or make money,” the statement added.

Governor Makinde thanked the management of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the NCDC and other good spirited Nigerians who have shown support for the state in combating the virus.

The governor, however, admonished residents to stop making frivolous calls to the Emergency Operating Centre, EOC, adding that people should only call the centre when they have genuine and serious cases.

 Signed:Engineer Seyi Makinde,

Governor of Oyo State.

March 25, 2020.