Plateau Records First Death from COVID-19 Pandemic

Plateau State has recorded its first death from the COVID-19 case. The state Governor, Simon Lalong, who is the chairman of the state COVID-19 Task Force, confirmed this in Jos  at a press conference.

He stated that 33 cases have so far been recorded in the state; 10 have been treated and discharged; one death recorded, and 22 are receiving treatment and stable.

The governor added that the dead patient's sample was taken for test, but he died before his result was returned.

According to Lalong, "We shall continue to restrict inter-local government movements to further curtail the spread of the disease.

"The major challenge the state has continued to face is the breach at the  state boundaries where people continue to violate the closure order through compromise and resorting to illegal routes.

"This has exposed the state to more dangers of COVID-19, as virtually all the cases we have recorded originated from other states, and were imported by people who defied our directives and entered the state by all means. This is indeed sad."

The governor said as a people-driven government desirous of carrying everyone along, it has noted the concerns raised in respect of the need to have more room for people to secure services such as banking which were limited because of the existing lockdown schedule. "With effect from May 17, 2020, the total lockdown will resume from midnight of every Sunday and be relaxed on Wednesdays 12 midnight," he added.

Lalong stated: "This will henceforth be the pattern until further review. In order words, the total lockdown is relaxed on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, while Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays will remain totally locked down."

He added that the use of face masks in public places remains compulsory, and anyone found not using one outside his home would be arrested and charged to the mobile court.

"To ensure better enforcement and compliance, the government will henceforth enroll some of its civil servants for the exercise. Accordingly, the Head of Service has been directed to immediately deploy civil servants from grade levels 10-14 to various points across the state,” the governor stated.