The Osun State Government on Sunday warned that the state has recorded five cases of the deadly B117 strain of COVID-19, which was first reported in the United Kingdom (UK).
A statement by the Information Commissioner, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said it was worrisome that barely a week that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announced the discovery of the strain in Nigeria, Osun already has five cases.
“Considering the continued disregard and defiance for safety protocols in the state, the government is extremely concerned about the days ahead,” she said.
She noted that the new strain spreads faster and kills quicker.
“If it continues to grow, more citizens will become vulnerable and those with underlying ailments will be more endangered.
“We cannot continue to act like COVID-19 is not real. It is not just a sad reality but one that has changed the momentum with this more deadly strain.
“Citizens are enjoined to scale up their responsibility for safety by complying with all the non-pharmaceutical protocols outlined by the government, to avoid tragic consequences,” the statement said.
Amidst fresh discovery, the Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, on Sunday directed court workers across the state to undergo the test.
She also directed court staff below Level 12 to work from home.
A statement by the Chief Registrar, High Court, M. A Lasisi, read: “I have the instruction of the Honourable Chief Judge, Osun State to convey to you the need to comply with the new COVID-19 protocols just released by the state government. Hence, all staff of the Judiciary below Level 12 are hereby directed to stay at, and work from home, to contain the spread of the pandemic.
“All staff affected should stop coming to work with effect from Monday, February 1, 2021. Furthermore, all staff of Osun State Judiciary should undergo COVID-19 test immediately. Osun State Government is gracious enough to be conducting the tests free of charge. All courtrooms and offices where the affected officer is working should be closed down forthwith, until further notice.”
He noted that the instruction should be complied with strictly.
Also on Sunday, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola advised the state’s residents to always adhere strictly to COVID-19 guidelines to contain its spread.
Oyetola gave the advice during a COVID-19 sensitisation programme held at motor parks and markets in Iwo town, Osun, on Sunday.
He said non-compliance with the prescribed COVID-19 protocols would make the disease spread faster.
Oyetola was represented by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement Tunbosun Oyintiloye.
The governor urged residents to take responsibility in the containment of COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the entire world.
“We must wake up to the reality that COVID-19 is real; unlike what we witnessed in the first wave, the second wave we are witnessing now is more deadly.
“The rate at which people are contracting the virus coupled with the number of recorded deaths on a daily basis calls for a serious precaution on our part,’’ Oyetola said.
The governor said the essence of the sensitisation programme was to remind residents, especially market women and drivers, on the need to follow the prescribed guidelines to win the war against the virus.
Mr. Yinusa Amobi, a member of House of Representatives, representing Iwo Federal Constituency, also urged residents of the town to support government in minimising the spread of the virus by following the COVID-19 guidelines.