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The Lagos State House of Assembly has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ensure proper sensitisation of residents on the dreaded Coronavirus, otherwise called COVID-19.
Representative of Oshodi Isolo I constituency, Akeem Shokunle raised the issue under matters of urgent public importance during plenary and seconded by Lukman Olumo (Ajeromi/Ifelodun1).
Shokunle, who is Chairman, House Committee on Health, stated that it was important that the governor should sensitise the people on the matter and implement the law passed by the Eighth Assembly on Cancer and Diseases Control Institute.
The House also asked Sanwo-Olu to direct the Commissioner for Education to carry out proper awareness on Coronavirus in all public and private schools across the state.
Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, who thanked members for their contributions, stated that banning on airlines from the countries affected by Coronavirus had to be re-considered due to the economic consequences.
“The Federal Government and Lagos State Government are working together to curb the spread of Coronavirus. We should commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for his efforts on the matter, but we should ask him to implement the provision of the law on Centre For Cancer and Diseases Control, which was passed during the Eighth Assembly.
“People, who had contact with the Italian man suspected to have been infected with Coronavirus are being watched. We should standby at all times to reduce or prevent the incursion of such a disease into our state,” he said.
Obasa stressed that the state government needed to reach out to many organisations including the local government authorities, CDAs, CDCs, NURTW and others to educate them so that they could pass the information to the people.
Speaking, Majority Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1) said Lagos residents should comply with all the preventive measures to keep away from Coronavirus, adding that in the event of any suspected case, there are dedicated telephone lines for people to call.
On his part, Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2) stated that people should stop spreading fake news about Coronavirus, citing an example of where it was reported that the Italian man who was quarantined over Coronavirus wanted to escape from where he was kept.
Also speaking, Abiodun Tobun (Epe1) commended the state government for its efforts and advised the people not to spread the disease beyond where it is.
“It happened in China and not Nigeria, only one case has been reported in Lagos and we should know how to handle it. We know what happened during the Ebola outbreak, when the state government effectively curtailed it,” he stated.