Forty-three persons have been quarantined in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State for investigation to forestall the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), commissioner for health, Dr Nimkong Ndam, said on Sunday.
The affected persons had contact with four Chinese miners who recently returned to the state from China en-route Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The commissioner, at a press briefing in Jos, said the affected persons would be isolated for a period of 14 days to check if they would manifest symptoms of the virus.
He said Governor Simon Lalong was informed by the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) of three Chinese nationals, who arrived Nigeria and were heading to Jos, which led to the setting-up of a team comprising health officials and security agencies to monitor them.
“One Chinese national, arrived on Tuesday 25th while the three others arrived on Wednesday, they came from China through Addis Ababa Airport to Abuja airport, where they were screened by health officials,” he said.
According to the commissioner, the Chinese who arrived on Tuesday is the leader of the mining team which resides in Wase town while the other two live in Bakin Kaya, a mining site outside Wase town.
He explained that the leader had been offering social services of water supply to members of the community, where he resides but was asked to suspend the services pending investigations, saying a total of 25 persons who had contact with him had been isolated.
“The other three Chinese live in a compound with 13 Nigerians, who also have been isolated pending investigations, making a total of 18 persons isolated in Bakin Kaya,” Ndam said.
The commissioner said the travel documents of the Chinese persons were valid, saying the state had isolation units in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau Specialist Hospitals in the case of an outbreak of the disease in the state.
He said the ministry was working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, for the supply of commodities and other support in the case the suspects turned positive of the virus.
