The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo has urged the state government to undertake massive testing of citizens to forestall more spread of the disease in the state.
The State Chairman of the party, Dr Tony Aziegbemi made the call on Tuesday at a media briefing in Benin.
Aziegbemi said that with 14 confirmed cases of Corona virus in the state and two deaths, the situation called for urgent measures.
He said that testing was necessary because of the proximity of the state to some states with high cases as well as the number of people coming into the state from foreign countries.
Aziegbemi called for the involvement of various stakeholders in the state to quickly contain the coronavirus pandemic, adding that all stakeholders needed to be on the same page with government.
He called for the adoption of a total lockdown in the state as well as massive testing of residents to contain the spread of the disease.
He called on the state government to put politic aside and concentrate on its role of upholding the health of residents.
The PDP chairman also called on the government to strengthen the process of isolation of persons who had tested positive to the virus, as well as strengthen contact tracing.
“Treatment process should be comprehensive, while the stay at home policy must be strengthened through palliatives,” he said.
Aziegbemi, however, called for the support of all sons and daughters of the state both home and abroad to come together and fight the pandemic.
“The plague cannot be left to the government alone to tackle,” he said.
He also appealed to government at all levels to protect the health workers through adequate provision of personal protective equipment to guard against infections.
“Health workers who lost their lives stopping the spread of the virus must be compensated adequately, while praying to God to grant them eternal rest”, Aziegbemi said.
