From Yakubu Busari, Jos
Overwhelmed by the number of Covid-19 patients including personnel staff, the Chairman of Jos North Local Government Council, Shehu Bala Usman has ordered the shutdown of a Primary Health Care clinic in Unguwa Rimi.
Confirming the directive, Mr Philip Eplong, Senior Information Officer of the LGA, said the increasing rate of COVID 19 pandemic is causing the council sleepless nights with some health workers in the Primary Health center regularly testing positive for the virus .
According to him, the COVID 19 cases were all confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control after a series of tests including, medical professionals.
Management Committee Chairman of the LGA Bala Usman who personally supervised the closing of the health center said many persons who were been treated for malaria turned out to be coronavirus positive, which the center and personnel cannot cope with.
The Chairman stressed that after a series of tests, three out of the 15 Health Workers at the center tested positive of the disease, while the remaining 12 are asympomatic..
Contributing to the development, the Supervisory Councilor of Primary Health Care at the center, Danladi Dashe said already the three out of the 15 health workers who tested positive for the virus have since been quarantined for proper treatment while the remaining twelve who tested negative are in self – isolation.
Dashe urged people of Jos North not to panic as the local government under the leadership of Shehu Usman is on top of the situation.
Meantime, the local administration of the LGA has commenced the enforcement of the use of face Masks in the area. Already, it has put councillors, supervisory councillors, and the Task force team at strategic locations in the area to ensure full compliance with the COVID 19 safety protocols.Shehu Usman personally led the team to some areas including Ahmadu Bello way, old Bukuru park, Bauchi Junction, Fili Ball, Unguwa Rukuba, British American Junction, Tudun Wada to enforce and sensitize citizens on the importance and use of facemask. He said people must change their attitude and make the use of the face Mask as One of their daily wear.
Usman called on citizens to work across party lines, religious beliefs and sink personal differencesto defeat the virus transmission in the area in line with the COVID 19 safety protocols. He noted that anyone found without face mask will be punished.
Usman commended the Governor Lalong led administration for putting all measures in place to contain the spread of the disease and called on religious leaders to sensitize their followers on COVID 19 safety protocols.
It Would be recalled that Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong through the secretary to the government of the state Professor Danladi Atu in his media briefing last Sunday listed six local government areas including Jos North among those with the highest Number of COVID 19 cases and directed them to sensitize and educate their inhabitants on COVID 19 safety protocols.
