The Niger State Government on Wednesday said 27 people are currently being quarantined in Minna for coming in contact with a suspected COVID-19 infected person.
The state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr Mohamned Makusidi, stated this in Minna when members of the State Task Force on COVID-19 visited the isolation centre where they were kept.
While briefing the Chairman of the Task Force, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, the Commissioner said a 59-year-old man arrived from Lagos to Mashegu area of the state and exhibited COVID-19 symptoms.
The commissioner said that the community reported the case to authorities but the man ran away from the community into Makera market where he boarded a truck to escape to another part of the state.
He said that there were 26 other passengers in the truck when it was finally tracked by the team from the Task Force.
He said “all the passengers and the man have been quarantined in Minna isolation centre for close monitoring. Their blood samples have been taken to Abuja and results are expected next week”.
Speaking on the development, Matane said surveillance have been stepped up at the state’s closed boundaries with other states.
He said the level of compliance with government’s restriction order in the state is about 70 percent adding that there is no COVID-19 case in Niger yet, but there is need for people to stay at home.
He said that the police have been mandated to arrest and prosecute any person who disobeyed the order.
