14 Apr Gov. Seyi Makinde Flagged Off The COVID-19 Drive-Through/Walk-Through Testing Center

This morning, Gov. Seyi Makinde flagged off the COVID-19 Drive-Through/Walk-Through testing Center which will ramp up large scale testing for COVID-19 at the Lekan Salami Sport Complex, Adamasigba, Ibadan. In his address, he made it known that the project is a culmination of weeks of planning and hardwork which commenced before the index case was recorded in the State on the 21st of March, 2020.  The Governor noted that the challenges faced are multipronged owing to the fact that there is no healthcare  infrastructure that can handle a full-scale pandemic and we have a largely informal economy which requires applying solutions that are products of scientific and logical thoughts while putting our local circumstances into cognizance.  He indicated that the Oyo State COVID-19 Taskforce has been working to ensure the prevention, containment and control of COVID-19 in Oyo State. He added that there would be a review of situation few days after the testing is increased which will ascertain the need for a targeted lock down or a total lock down of the state. Gov. Seyi Makinde explained that the aspiration of the Government is to run 10,000 mass testing for residents of the State within the shortest possible time which will start with the first 2,000 testing target and will be completed in two weeks.

He appreciated the Citizen for Citizen Initiative led by Mrs. Ibukun Awosika for donating 2,000 test kits and also Life Bank Nigeria for collaborating with the Oyo COVID-19 Taskforce to conduct the tests. He appreciated the frontline healthcare workers in the state for putting their lives at risk while assuring that their welfare will be prioritized. The Governor reiterated that luck is not a strategy to beat COVID-19 but logic and science. He enjoined residents of the state to maintain social distancing – standing at least three feet apart from other people, washing of hands regularly with soap under running water or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and more importantly, follow all guidelines pronounced from time to time by Oyo State COVID-19 Taskforce.