Enugu State has recorded two fresh cases of COVID-19 infection, bringing the total cases to 18, eight discharged and 10 on treatment.
Commissioner for Health, Obi Emmanuel Ikechukwu, in a statement on Sunday, said that the first new case (Case 17) is a 45-year-old male who hails from Igbo-Eze North LGA of Enugu State and lives in Lagos State. He was sick and made his way to Enugu State on the 21st of May, 2020 despite the inter-state movement restriction.
The commissioner disclosed that concerned members of the man’s community alerted the health authorities, since he too was already ill.
He was tested and his result returned positive for COVID-19 on the 23rd of May, 2020.
The second fresh case “(Case 18) is the 62-year-old Mother-in-Law of Case 16, who has become a positive contact.
Case 16 as earlier reported, evaded the inter-state boundary restriction, all the way from Lagos State and across several other states (obviously assisted by unscrupulous individuals), to bury her recently-deceased husband in their community in Igbo-Etiti LGA of Enugu State”, he said.
Ikechukwu cautioned that “Evading or assisting anyone to evade the inter-state movement restriction, is unlawful, of no known benefit and has instead contributed to the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state.
“Such actions are militating against the measures put in place by the Enugu State Government to prevent the spread of the virus and should be discouraged by all well-meaning inhabitants of the state. ”
He said “It is in our best interest to continue to comply with the directives of the Federal and Enugu State governments and the public health advisory of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and the Enugu State Ministry of Health.
“This is a time to encourage family members or friends, especially if ill, to remain where they are and seek health care. To discourage family and friends who want to move the body of a deceased loved one several miles away in these times, for interment.
To stay at home when it is not absolutely necessary to go out”, he said.
The commissioner urged residents to wear a facemask/covering whenever they must go out, keep a safe distance from other people at all times,
practice good respiratory hygiene (when coughing or sneezing), clean surfaces with a 1 in 6 concentration of bleach and water, wash their hands with soap for 20 seconds under running water as often as possible and when facilities for handwashing are unavailable, sanitize their hands as often as possible using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
