COVID-19: Kaduna to get testing centre, opens talks with ABU, says Deputy Gov

Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe has revealed that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has promised that Kaduna State will soon have a COID-19 testing centre.
Dr Hadiza Balarabe who made this known during a state broadcast on Friday, was giving an update on the activities of Kaduna COVID-19 Task Force.
Dr Balarabe said that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Mohammed Baloni, and her counterparts from other states met with NCDC officials last week, ‘’where that commitment was again emphasized.’’
‘’As an interim measure, Kaduna State Government is in talks with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria for use of the PCR machine at the African Center for Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases,’’ she added.
The Deputy Governor promised that when talks between the state government and ABU Zaria are finalised, the general public will be informed accordingly.
According to Dr Balarabe, Government has identified a location that will be used as an isolation centre for asymptomatic people.
‘’The States Facility Management Agency has been mandated to quickly renovate and make the identified location conducive and purpose-specific for these categories of individuals,’’ she said.
‘’However, this is a stop-gap arrangement, pending when a permanent structure is built. To this end, Government will be approaching private donors to support this project so that we can scale up our response to this pandemic’’, she added.
The Deputy Governor also said that Government has bought palliatives in the form of food items and other commodities, to be distributed to the vulnerable members of the society.
‘’Right now, the palliatives have have been sent to some identified local governments in the first instance, for onward distribution to clusters and households. In fact, households will start receiving these palliatives immediately,’’ she said.
Dr Balarabe said that donations have been trickling in from well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations and Non Governmental Organisations.
‘’In addition, the Commissioner for Local Government will fashion out ways and means to enable solvent Area Councils to donate their widow’s mite,’’ she further said.
The Deputy Governor who noted that Nigerians are living in tough times, pointed out that the situation requires ‘’us to not only be our brothers’ keepers but to also be cheerful givers, especially to the less privileged amongst us.’’
The Deputy Governor lamented that before the stay-at-home order was reviewed, the Quarantine order was variously breached in several respects.
‘’Although most places of worship remained closed, some clerics defied the law by insisting on holding congregational prayers. The clerics have been duly arrested, arraigned before the court, for onward prosecution,’’ she said.
According to her, the Government has reviewed the situation with security agencies to ramp up enforcement of the restriction of movement in the interest of the safety of everyone.
The Deputy Governor warned that the Quarantine order will be enforced and ‘’this time around, anyone who runs afoul of the law, will be dealt with irrespective of his or her status.’’