Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has expressed concerns over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the State’s rural areas.
He stressed that recorded cases in some rural areas were due to illegal travels which have increased the dangers of community transmission.
El-Rufai, speaking on Friday, said the majority of COVID-19 cases in the State have travel history, adding that illegal inter-state travels were widening the spread of the virus in the State.
A statement by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, said positive COVID-19 test results have been recorded from seven local government areas, comprising of Giwa, Igabi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Makarfi, Soba and Zaria.
The statement explained that the seven new cases as announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Thursday night; “include four persons with travel history outside the state, a senior citizen who received many visitors at home and two persons in the police barracks who are contacts of one of the policemen who tested positive.”
In the statement, the state Standing Committee on COVID-19 appealed for the vigilance and active involvement of all citizens, especially as many have endured inconveniences and consistently complied with the restriction of movement, including the prohibition of non-essential interstate movements.
“These sacrifices are being jeopardized by the actions of persons who violate the Quarantine Orders, and the misconduct of some law enforcement officers that have facilitated and indulged this grossly irresponsible pattern of interstate travel,” it stated.