COVID-19: Why Delta partially relaxed lockdown — Okowa’s spokesman

Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, chief press secretary to Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has explained that Tuesday’s announcement of relaxation of the lockdown in the state was predicated on the governor’s compassion for citizens, saying it was to rekindle micro and small business activities.

Lockdown in the state began on April 1 for 14 days and was extended for another 14 days from April 15 as part of measures against the spread of COVID-19.

The order was preceded by the closure of all entry points into the state, including airports and seaports on March 29.

According to Ifeajika, in an interview with Silverbird News 24 monitored via Skype in Asaba on Wednesday, the governor compassionately relaxed the lockdown to enable daily income earners eek a living.

He said that since the stay-at-home directive was given, majority of persons in the daily income bracket were cut off from their sources of daily bread and had mounted agitation, and plea to the government to reconsider the order.

“The governor, being a very compassionate leader with the interest of his people at heart, had to partially relax the lockdown for economic activities to resume.

“It is however, with a proviso that everyone must wear a face mask in public places henceforth,’’ he said, adding that there were still some rules that the people must abide with.

The governor’s spokesman stated that “so far, it’s been fine in the state, because from the onset, the governor took proactive measures even when the state had not recorded any confirmed case of the virus.

“We put all the things that needed to be on ground; we established four isolation and treatment centres while frontline health personnel were adequately trained and re-trained for the pandemic.

“Incidentally, two weeks into the scourge, we recorded the Index case in the state and then the second one, who died in the process because he presented himself very late and also had underlying health issues.

“So far, we have seven cases, with two deaths and three are active and doing very well while two were discharged yesterday (Tuesday) having tested negative two times.

“It’s been wonderful and we pray that nothing negative happens again as far as the pandemic is concerned.”

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On why government partially relaxed the lockdown, Ifeajika stated that Okowa, “being a leader, who listens to his people and cares about their plight, allowed businesses to resume so that those who earn daily living can continue to fend for themselves.

“For the type of person he is, the governor listened to the people and relaxed the lockdown partially to allow some business activities to resume but with a proviso that everybody coming to the public must have the face mask on.

“And, to help in this regard, the state government produced one million face masks to distribute free to the people. These may not be enough, but will definitely go a long way in letting people know that it’s what we need to save lives.”

Ifeajika said that distribution of the face masks commenced on Tuesday, adding that a law would be enacted to enforce its compulsory usage in public places.

“The distribution of the face masks started yesterday at the ward level; the whole essence is that from April 30, it will be enforced seriously; everybody coming to the public from whereever must wear the face mask and it is going to be backed by a law.

“A bill on it will go to the state House of Assembly for a proper law to be enacted so that it becomes unlawful for you not to have your face mask on in public places,” he added.