Kaduna state government has confirmed a new case of COVID-19 in the state.
Commissioner for health, Amina Baloni, who made this known in a statement said the Coronavirus case has no connection with the first five cases in the state but that of a man who recently returned from Lagos.
She said;
He travelled to Kaduna on public transport and made contact with the authorities as his symptoms worsened. The patient has been evacuated to the state’s Infectious Disease Centre.
According to the commissioner, the latest case is worrisome as it presents the possibility of community transmission of COVID-19 in the state.
Baloni explained that it is very difficult and complicated to trace the contacts of a patient who came from Lagos via public transport and has had local commuting since his arrival into Kaduna.
She said the Rapid Response Team (RRT) is trying to get a list of his contacts from him in order to start contact tracing, adding that;
He does not know who his fellow passengers from Lagos are. But the team is working to develop an idea of his local contacts in Kaduna, including any vehicles he commuted in and people he met at the hospital he visite within his neighbourhood.
The commissioner stressed that the government consistently appealed to the public to practice social distancing in order to prevent and avert a scenario like this.
She added that the government had also directed commercial buses to carry no more than two passengers per row.
Baloni said;
The instances that have now been recorded of people spreading COVID-19 from one state to another further reinforces the need to stop all inter-state travel. People need to stay in one place and help reduce the footprint of COVID-19.
The commissioner said the state banned motorcycles, taxis and tricycles because they do not satisfy the conditions for social distancing.
She also emphasised on the state government’s advice against large gatherings and congregational prayers, saying that;
Now that there is a case of possible community transmission of COVID-19, residents must begin to take more seriously the quarantine conditions.
Based on Friday’s Coronavirus report by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), there are 6 cases of Coronavirus in Kaduna state.
