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Cross River declares 28 oil workers in self-isolation COVID-19 free

By Anietie Akpan (Calabar) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt)
06 April 2020   |   3:40 am
The Cross River State government has declared 28 oil rig workers on self-isolation at Tinapa Hotel coronavirus free. Commissioner for Health Dr. Betta Edu, had on March 31 claimed ignorance of their stay

The Cross River State government has declared 28 oil rig workers on self-isolation at Tinapa Hotel coronavirus free.

Commissioner for Health Dr. Betta Edu, had on March 31 claimed ignorance of their stay at the Tinapa Hotel saying, “I have not heard of that, I know of the 35 persons who tried to make their way into the state, but they were stopped. I am just hearing about this other group of people for the first time and I will send our team there to confirm the story.”

But during a media briefing at the weekend, she confirmed that they were rig workers who were waiting for their counterparts before they head for the rig.

“Some of them are from Cross River, there is nothing wrong with them and they have no history of leaving the country in the last six months. However, they are waiting for their colleagues from the United States, but the government has granted them entry into the state.”

Also explaining the situation of the rig workers at Tinapa, Commissioner for Finance, Asuquo Ekpenyong, said, “When the Federal Government banned air travel, Cross River State also closed down its airport.

“There was clearance from the Federal Government for a chartered flight for 35 Americans coming to Cross River State for drilling, they landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and they supposed to board a chartered flight to Calabar.

“When we were contacted, Governor Benedict Ayade declined clearance to enable the flight entry into the state and so, the 35 Americans are still in Abuja.”

But people of the state are wondering why it took the government so long to explain its stand and why the Americans were being subjected to COVID-19 test and why the isolated 28 Nigerians in Tinapa were not subjected to the same treatment.

Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that the second result of the COVID-19 index case in the state has tested negative, just as he announced the establishment of a food bank to distribute palliatives to the less privileged in the state.

Wike stated that the 19-year-old model, who returned from Europe on March 16, 2020 and later confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, was doing well.

The governor, who also inspected the progress of work at a new treatment centre under construction, acknowledged that the state was 90 per cent prepared to tackle the deadly virus.

“We have visited the location to see the readiness of the isolation/treatment centre in Port Harcourt.

Even though they failed to deliver as promised, we are confident that in the next four days, it would have been completed,” he said.

He added that his administration had set in motion the platform for the distribution of palliatives, including food items following the sit-at-home directive to check the spread of coronavirus.

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