Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has said another is imminent if the country is to defeat the deadly Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
He stated this during a live broadcast to residents on the state broadcast stations on Wednesday.
According to him, the astronomical increase in the number of confirmed cases in the country and particularly the state is due to the easing of the total lockdown especially Lagos State.
This he said enabled many people to travel and import the virus into the state.
He said: “I want to commend Mr. President in the manner and wisdom he is handling this pandemic. You see, when the lockdown was there the cases were trickling in but when the lockdown was relaxed, the cases are coming in surprising manner”.
“It is the Nigerian people that will advise themselves to isolate, to be careful. I expect another serious lockdown if the cases continue to increase like this and this will be by consensus agreement of the general public. We have to lockdown to defeat this monster that is called covid-19”.
The Governor also said the latest four cases of the virus which took Ebonyi’s tally to 13 are all returnees.
“We have recorded 13 coronavirus cases shockingly and surprisingly in Ebonyi state now. The first treatment centre has a total of 26 facility rooms and in the next seven days, we will be opening ultramodern emergency hospital ward we were constructing but now, we are turning it to 300-bed isolation centre here in Abakaliki”.
Mr Umahi also revealed that one of the patients, a three years old child has recovered from the virus and discharged after he tested negative twice.
Cattles banned from new Govt House
Meanwhile, the Governor has said the state will not entertain Almajiris in the state.
He was speaking on reports of Almajiris being smuggled into the Southeast after they were expelled from some Northern states in wake of the rampaging Coronavirus.
While acknowledgimg the Nothern Governors for their cooperation on the issue, the governor however promised that the state will not welcome any Almajiri.
“We will not be afraid to say that there will not be Amajiris in Ebonyi state and the Northern Governors I commend them, they said go to your state of origin”.
“We will not allow Amajiris in Ebonyi state. Ebonyi will not allow Amajiris, they should go to their state of origin. We have to as a people to begin to tell ourselves the truth’.
He also banned rearing of cattle around the new government house located inside the Centenary City Abakaliki.
“I have directed the Chief Security Officer to meet with the security people. Please I don’t want to see any cow within the premesis of the centenary city. How can I be struggling with cows to come into Government House. Please, in the entire centenary city, I don’t want to see any cow. Not just government house, anywhere that is called centenary city; international market, the mall. This is insulting”.
“So, security people should do meeting with the cattle rearers whether it is Hausa cows or Igbo cows because I can also see some Igbo cows and I don’t want to see it again”.
He said cows seen flouting the order should be impounded and a court order obtained to auction them off.