Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who doubles as the head of the COVID-19 task force in the state has approved the conversion of the Aawe isolation c
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who doubles as the head of the COVID-19 task force in the state has approved the conversion of the Aawe isolation centre to a Level 3 Primary Health Care Centre (PHC), directing that the facility should be decontaminated and handed over to the Hospital Management Board.
A statement from the governor confirmed that the task force has approved that, except for the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan, other isolation centres in the state could be converted to Level 3 PHCs. It, however, stated that whenever a spike in COVID-19 cases is noticed in the location where any of the facilities are situated, such a facility would be re-converted to an isolation centre or a part of it will be utilised as an isolation centre.
The statement also indicated that the task force has directed the Oyo State Hospital Management Board to identify a primary health care centre around the Olodo axis of Ibadan, which would be upgraded to take care of residents in that axis, as there are no designated government hospital facilities around the Iwo Road-Olodo axis.
While briefing the task force meeting, former chief medical director of the University College Hospital (UCH) and coordinator of the Oyo State Isolation Centres, Professor Temitope Alonge, maintained that because of the decline in the number of COVID-19 patients on admission at the isolation centres, the staff strength of the healthcare workers should be reduced to a tenth of the current size.
Similarly, the governor announced the cancellation of the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Taiwo Adisa, chief press secretary to the governor, said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the task force held on August 31, 2020, which was presided over by the governor. He added that the task force has warned operators of night clubs to desist from accommodating persons in closed areas within their premises, adding that research has confirmed that the virus spreads faster when people cluster in closed venues.
According to the statement, an advisory would be sent to night clubs owners by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) arm of the task force, to warn operators not to allow guests into their enclosed areas. The statement further indicated that the task force issued another warning to residents of the state to continue to follow the Own Your Action initiative of the state’s COVID-19 task force, as, according to the task force, the state “is not completely out of the woods with regard to COVID-19.”
