The Abia state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has urged people of the State living in places with rising COVID-19 cases to remain where they are till the pandemic is over, insisting that the interstate travel ban in the state is still in force despite the partial relaxation of lockdown.
He also cautioned mortuary attendants not to receive corpses of individuals suspected to have died of COVID-19 without obtaining a permit from relevant authorities in the state, stating that violation of this instruction will lead to a total closure of such facilities.
In a release signed by the Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu and made available to ABN TV on Monday, Ikpeazu expressed regret that despite the ban on interstate travels in the state, a family recently sneaked into the state during the weekend with the corpse of their father who allegedly died of COVID-19 in Kano and was ferried to a community in Umuahia South LGA where unsuspecting citizens have been going to mourn with them unprotected.
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To this end, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has directed the ministry of homeland security to immediately ensure that everyone in the compound of the affected family is quarantined pending when the medical rapid response team has fully collected and tested samples of all those involved including their visitors/mourners.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to restate that whoever enters our state during this period of ban on interstate movement is in breach of state and federal regulations and will have themselves to blame as the law will be applied to the fullest in order to protect the people of Abia State.
“All village heads, traditional rulers and community leaders must take responsibility to stop and/or report any person or group of persons that enter their community from outside the state within this period or face necessary sanctions. On no account should any corpse from outside the state be brought into any community for burial or preservation in a mortuary without the written approval of the state or local government concerned. Mortuaries in the state are also not permitted to receive such corpses without obtaining permits from relevant local or state authorities to avoid immediate sanctions including the closure of the facility. The morgue operators should also endeavor to report families with such corpses to the relevant authorities.
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“Furthermore, the Governor has directed the enforcement team of the inter-ministerial committee on COVID-19 to impound all commercial inter-state vehicles operating within this period and quarantine both the drivers and passengers at the nearest general hospital for a minimum period of 21 days.
“Finally, we wish to appeal to our people not to see the partial relaxation of the lockdown in the state as an excuse to lower their guards as we will not hesitate to do whatever is needful, including reimposing full lockdown in the state, to protect the majority of our people from being infected with COVID-19.
“We strongly advise citizens and residents of the state to remain wherever they are within or outside the state till this pandemic is over” he said.
