COVID-19: Kaduna to get testing centre — Deputy Gov

The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe says the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has promised to set up a Conoravirus testing centre in the state.
Balarabe made this known during a state broadcast on Friday, on activities of the state COVID-19 Task Force.
She said that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Baloni and her counterparts from other states met with NCDC officials last week where the commitment was reiterated.
According to Balarabe, government has identified a location that will be used as an isolation centre for asymptomatic people.
She promised that when talks between the state government and ABU Zaria are finalised, the general public would be informed accordingly.
‘’The State Facility Management Agency has been mandated to renovate and make the identified location conducive and purpose-specific for these categories of individuals.
“However, this is a stop-gap arrangement, pending when a permanent structure is built.
“To this end, government will be approaching private donors to support the project so that we can scale up response to the pandemic’’, she added.
Balarabe said that as an interim measure, the government was talking with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for use of the PCR machine at the African Center for Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The deputy governor also said that government has provided palliatives in the form of food items and other commodities to be distributed to the vulnerable members of the society.
“Right now, the palliatives have been sent to some identified local governments in the first instance, for onward distribution to clusters and households. In fact, households will start receiving these palliatives immediately,’’ Balarabe said.
She said that donations have been trickling in from well meaning individuals, corporate organisations and Non Governmental Organizations.
‘’In addition, the Commissioner for Local Government will fashion out ways and means to enable solvent area councils donate their widow’s mite,’’ she further said.
The deputy governor noted that Nigerians were living in tough times, pointing out that the situation required leaders to be cheerful givers, especially to the less privileged.
He warned that the quarantine order will continue to be enforced and anyone who ran foul of the law, would be dealt with irrespective of his or her status.