Some governors have expressed frustration at the apparent collapse of the interstate travel ban by many commercial drivers and commuters.
They worried that this trend might increase the spread of the coronavirus and shoot up the number of COVID-19 cases.Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control showed that Lagos had 378; FCT, 52; Delta, 23; Edo, 22; Rivers, 14; and Ogun, 13.
Despite the interstate lockdown, which the President extended indefinitely to contain the spread of COVID-19, findings byrevealed that interstate travel in the country has refused to cease, as many interstate commercial bus drivers bribe their ways through the different checkpoints mounted by security agencies across the country.
For instance, Edo State Governor, Obaseki, expressed worry over the failure of the people to obey the interstate travel ban.through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagieon, disclosed that the government had arrested some travellers who eventually tested positive for COVID-19.
The Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, decried that it was worrisome that people were still entering the state through borders that were supposed to be closed. The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, said the state government was fighting hard to secure the borders.
The Osun State Government lamented the violation of interstate travel ban by travellers passing through unconventional routes. A driver with the Taraba State Transport Corporation who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “There is a lockdown in the state but we are still driving through states. We know how to find favour from the police and other security agents.”“I returned from Jos last week and yesterday I returned from Onitsha. I will be travelling to Lagos on Sunday . We must move to make a living and to also serve the needs of the people,” he said.
“Really, I cannot say that the police are doing this because they are not the only security personnel on the road,” she said.Similarly, the spokesperson for the Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, dismissed claims that policemen at the borders had compromised. She said those who entered the state during the lockdown must have taken unconventional routes.
“Many have been charged before the court and some of the policemen caught in the act of corruption are undergoing orderly room trial. Some have been found guilty and dismissed.”In the meantime, private school owners under the aegis of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools have said they weren’t ready to convert their facilities to isolation centres.
“In event of overflow, we can require hotels and school dormitories to be prepared for level 1, which is quarantine, and level 2, is the isolation of COVID-19 positive with zero or mild symptoms, to free hospital beds to be dedicated to level 3, which are moderate to severe cases, and level 4, which is for the high dependency and the intensive care unit.
“Private school owners reject this idea. In fact, private schools should be considered for reopening because it is easy to maintain physical distancing than in public schools because they are usually crowded.Otubela said there were many public places that the government could convert to isolation centres.
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