Following the upsurge in the cases of Coronavirus in the country, the State Government of Osun has told its junior and middle-level civil servants to proceed on a two-week leave, starting from Tuesday, 24 March, 2020, as part of measures to contain the spread of the disease.
According to a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola granted the leave for the workers as part of precautionary measures to forestall any possible outbreak of coronavirus anywhere in the State.
The statement quoted Oyetola as saying “all Officers from Grade Level 1 – 12 in all services of the State should proceed on two weeks leave beginning from Tuesday, 24th March 2020”.
However, workers on essential services such as health, environmental sanitation, fire service, among others are not affected by the directive.
“All Officers on essential services in Health and Medical facilities, Environmental Sanitation, Fire Services, Water Corporation, and all other essential services, are to be reporting for duty as usual”, the statement noted.
While emphasising the premise for Osun’s preventive protocols, the Governor said: “it will be noted that the coronavirus has not spread to this State, but the Government will not spare any effort that will make the State continue to be free of this pandemic coronavirus.”
Meanwhile, Oyetola has urged citizens and residents of the state not to panic but obey government’s instructions and follow basic personal hygiene habits.
Oyetola said this during a statewide broadcast on the measures put in place by the the State government to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the State.
The Governor, who disclosed that there was no confirmed case of the virus in the state, called on residents of the State to cooperate with the government to fight the virus, noting that “winning the war against Coronavirus is a collective responsibility.”
“Fellow Citizens, winning the war against Coronavirus is a collective responsibility. Let us all unite to fight the virus that is threatening our lives, our economy and all we labour and stand for as a people.
“Do not panic! But obey government’s simple instructions and directives. Follow simple hygiene. And together, we shall win the war against Coronavirus and keep our State safe and secure. Cooperate with government and endure the temporary hardships as no sacrifice is too much for our lives and those of our loved ones”, the governor added.
Speaking on measures taken so far to prevent an outbreak of the disease in Osun, Oyetola said the government had established three committees and had also created a holding centre to treat possible reported cases.
“As part of immediate measures to prevent an outbreak, we constituted three committees to decisively deal with the situation. These are the Technical Response Committee, the Economic Impact Committee and the Communication Committee. These three committees, which consist of experts in the respective fields, report directly to my office under my leadership.
“We have also created holding centre to isolate and treat possible reported cases. The Emergency Hotline to call, should there be need is 293. Other phone numbers are: 08035025692, 08033908772 and 08056456250.
“We are also in partnership with the African Centre of Excellence in Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at the Redeemers University, Ede, for easy investigation” he added.
Continuing, the governor stated that the State government had placed a ban on public gatherings, adding that a Monitoring Team had been mandated to enforce the ban.
“In addition to the proactive measures we have so far taken, we have also placed a ban on public gatherings. We wish to make it abundantly clear that the ban also covers unauthorised Mining Sites across the State, Churches, Mosques, Political Meetings and Night Clubs among others.
“We have also mandated a Monitoring Team to enforce the ban on public gatherings. We are doing all these to further ensure we are all safe.”
He appealed to residents of the State to avoid non-essential travels within the country, while also urging them to report to appropriate authorities if they have travel history to or from nations identified as high risk countries or have contact with persons diagnosed with the Coronavirus.
