Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde has declared that the state government has reached a decision on the use of face mask as the best way to prevent, contain and control the spread of COVID-19.

Makinde in a press briefing said that the state government will engage the services of 100 tailers who are expected to produce 10,000 face masks for one million people in Oyo State.

He also revealed that one of the two positive COVID-19 cases confirmed yesterday, is from Yemetu and the other is a returnee from the United States who is based in Ikolaba area of the state.

The governor ran a thread of the press briefing on his Twitter handle.

“During the COVID-19 Task Force meeting today, we were informed that two more tests came back positive. So, we have four new cases from the tests being conducted at Adamasingba Stadium. This brings the number of active cases in Oyo State to seven.

“It has been our aspiration to test a lot more people and we think as we do this mass testing, we can see the pattern of the virus within our environment and from those results, we can implement appropriate measures designed to deal with the situation.

“While the 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo is ready to receive cases, we are already upgrading the isolation centre at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. The Maternal and Child Health Centre, Saki is also being converted to an isolation centre.

“The General Hospital at Igbo-Ora is being evaluated for a section of it to be used as an isolation centre.

“As I stated at an earlier interview, one of the measures we considered to prevent, contain and control the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State is the compulsory use of face masks in public. Today, we reached a decision to implement this measure.”

Makinde also stated that “The Oyo State Government will produce an initial one million cloth face masks to kick start the mask in public places policy for Oyo State. 100 tailors will be commissioned by Monday, the 20th of April, 2020 to make 10,000 face masks each.

“We are collaborating with experts who have already designed these face masks to train the tailors on how to make them.

“The results we are receiving from Adamasingba Stadium has made us move the resumption at the State Secretariat forward to Monday, the 27th of April 2020. This is subject to further evaluation based on our circumstances closer to that time.

“Food security is a major issue which we have to address. This is planting season and we want to ensure that our farmers are able to farm. So, we are ramping up on enlightenment of the farmers on how best to remain safe during the planting season.

“We are also collaborating with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART) to get seedlings for the farmers so that they don’t miss the planting season.

“We are still working on palliatives; we now have the data & we’re sure that we’ve been able to identify the poorest of the poor in our environment. Palliatives will be distributed by the end of next week. We want to ensure that the palliatives get to those who actually need them.

“Let me use this opportunity to thank our health workers. This government will continue to make their welfare our priority and ensure that they are adequately protected as they remain on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 in Oyo State,” Makinde wrote.

COVID 19: Ogun enforces use of face mask

In another development, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has announced that the government will begin enforcement of compulsory use of face masks by residents of the state, as parts of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Abiodun, who made the announcement in Iperu, noted that “using of face mask has the benefits of preventing an afflicted person from infecting others and vice versa.”

The governor said to make the law effective, the state government had engaged the services of fashion designers to mass produce face mask, which will be distributed to market men and women, transporters and other people considered to be necessary.

Abiodun said he will leave no stone unturned to prevent further infection, spread and death from the dreaded coronavirus.

The governor also announced a relaxation window during the14 days extension of the lockdown period scheduled to start on Saturday.

There have been a widespread rumour that the new fourteen days lockdown is going to be total, but the governor said there will be total lockdown of the state for 48hours starting from 11:55pm on Friday, 17th April, 2020 to Sunday, 19th April, 2020.

He said the relaxation window will be observed on Monday, 20th, Wednesday, 22nd and Friday, 24th April, 2020 from 7am to 2pm each days.

“The period of relaxation will be between the hours of 7am and 2pm on each of these days. This means that citizens are expected to remain indoors tomorrow Saturday, April 18, 2020; Sunday, April 19, 2020; Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 as period of the lockdown”.

“I enjoin our people to scrupulously spend the window periods to restock on food items and conduct essential businesses during the period of the extended lockdown. We must understand that we cannot afford to be complacent or lower our guards, even as we maintain this delicate balance between people’s welfare and healthcare”.

“We must only go out if there is need to do so. And even then, we must scrupulously use a face mask. For non-health workers, any face mask or shield made from local material or fabric that effectively covers nose and mouth is just appropriate. Also, people should use tissue when coughing or sneezing and dispose of the used tissue immediately. In the absence of clean tissue, cough or sneeze into your bent elbows”.

“Let me also re-emphasise that while the window of relaxation is being observed, all interstate and international borders of our dear State will remain closed. As usual, all personnel on essential services will be given access to perform their duties. This window of relaxation of the lockdown will be reviewed from time to time”.

The governor expressed displeasure that some people play politics with the outbreak of the pandemic

“It is worrisome that at this critical time of a global pandemic, some individuals and groups would still play politics with lives of our people and public safety by concocting, fabricating and circulating misleading and mischievous stories and videos with sinister motive to undermine the efforts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus and the palliatives meant to cushion the effect of the lockdown on our people”.

“This is uncharitable and inhuman, to say the least. Going forward, such misinformation capable of inciting the public and causing breach of peace will be met with the full weight of the law”.

“In the same vein, I have news for those who may want to take advantage of the current situation to perpetrate any form of crime or criminality. Ogun State has zero tolerance for crimes. And if you test our will, the government and the security agencies will be swift in appending you and severe in bringing you to justice. I call on parents and guardians to ensure the conduct and activities of their children and wards are in consonance with law, public morality and order”.

Vanguard