Eneji Simon Ushie|25 March 2020
The Cross River State government has deployed staff in the health sector to various borders in the state to sensitize and test travellers and residents on the global pandemic Covid19.
The Director General, Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong who disclosed this in Calabar stated that directives had already been given to all 18 LGA Heads of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency to deploy staff into various villages especially communities that share borders with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea to sensitize people, conduct temperature checks and share hand sanitizers.
She said the agency is partnering with Traditional leaders and community heads in disseminating messages on Covid19 using traditional media approach which include house to house visit, use of town criers, circulation of messages in various languages and peer group. The information to be shared include Awareness on signs and symptoms, preventive measures which include frequent hand washibg with soap under running water, good personal and respiratory hygiene, eating balanced diets and preventing harmful practices like tobacco and alcohol usage.
"Our Governor, Senator Professor Ben Ayade, has shown great leadership in constituting the state Emergency Operations Centre which comprises of all stakeholders in the health sector , the Immigration service and other security outfits, traditional leaders and all concerned groups in tackling epidemics with Covid19 inclusive, and we in the Primary Healthcare Agency have declared operation house to house visit and set up surveillance in communities across the state, especially Local Government Area who share borders with neighboring countries. Before now, our Disease surveillance and notification officers had engaged in a down ranking training for staff in the LGAs,and all of our health workers have braced themselves with information and ways of managing the Covid19 pandemic, they are all aware and today are in the field to sensitize our people on ways of living a healthy life and prevent practices that will compromise their immunity"
Dr Ekpenyong had earlier stated that Cross River State remains Covid19 free with compliance to self submission of people for testing and temperature check which was undertaken by the governor Senator Professor Ben Ayade along side other members of the State executive council with the DG,taking the sensitization message to Riverian communities in Odukpani LGA.
Cross River State is surrounding and bounded to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea by Local governments which include Boki, Obanliku, Etung, Ikom, Bakassi, and Obudu with daily influx of people for various economic and social activities.
