By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Nigerian government has been able to identify at least 28 people who had contact with the Italian who came to Nigeria with the Corona virus. he is Nigeria’s first coronavirus patient.
The government has also shut down Lafarge, a cement manufacturing company in Ewekoro, Ogun State, according to a report by SaharaReporters.
The Italian had been in Nigeria for three days before he was found to have been infected with the disease, increasing the possibility that he may have been in contact with hundreds of people.
The list of his contact extends to the Turkish Airline he came with on February 25, Lagos airport officials that had dealings with him, Lafarge employees, domestic staffers and family members if any.
The patient, an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Milan, Italy on the February 25, 2020, was confirmed to have the COVID-19 virus by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Friday.
According to the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, who confirmed the latest development to journalists, the company where the Italian had visited in Ewekoro has been shut down, while two isolation centres have been identified.
“The information we have is that the particular company in question has practically shut down and they have set up two isolation centres within the company. They have identified all those that have been in contact with this index, totalling about 28 so far and they have been quarantined.
“They are looking at interviewing these 28 people to know who they have been in contact with so that they can ensure these other people are quarantined,” he stated.
He added that surveillance centres have been reactivated in all the 20 Local Government Areas in the state and the Olabisi Onabanjo teaching hospital in Sagamu in case of an outbreak.
“We are not leaving any stone unturned, we have distributed a lot of items all the way to our local government and our primary health care centres; gloves, masks and protective equipment.”