Coronavirus: Lafarge Explains why Infected Italian Came to Nigeria, as Number of Quarantined Persons in Lagos, Ogun Reaches 100

Ololade Adeyanju & NAN/

The Industrial Director of Lafarge Plc, Mr Segun Soyoye, has said “the Italian who brought coronavirus to Nigeria came to inspect some installations of machines bought from a Swedish firm”.

He said this during an on-the-spot-assessment by Ogun State Government, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and World Health Organisation teams to Lafarge facility at Ewekoro on Saturday.

Soyoye added that the Italian didn’t go beyond Lafarge the guest house at Ishofin Estate before he was evacuated, having developed abnormal temperatures that suggested he had been infected with Covid-19.

He added, “The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there.

“When we observed abrnomal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an Emergency Response Team which is led by the Company CEO. We have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the Italian but also the other contacts.

“The contacts are now 39 and we have quarantined them, the house and clinic as well as the vehicles. We don’t take chances that is why they are put there.

“They will be there for 14 days. We will continue to observe them, we have their database, showing their biodata and other information.

“The doctor is here and what he is doing is to check them on a regular basis. So far, everybody is stable. They are not symptomatic, we are providing everything for them over there.

“The other thing that I have not said is that the clinic that was used for the infected person is closed, disinfected and we moved everybody out.

“All the guys on duty that day, they were also quarantined, so they will be there for 14 days as well.”

He also said its production lines were not shut as the guest house where the Italian was lodged is 5km to the manufacturing plants in Ewekoro.

The Team Leader of World Health Organisation in Nigeria, Mr Ibrahim Mamadu, commended the internal processes undertaken so far by Lafarge Africa to contain the deadly disease.

He however advised the company and others to acquire digital thermometers to check body temperatures instead of infrared thermometers for accurate body temperature readings.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said over 100 contacts with the Coronavirus index case had been identified and followed up in both in Lagos and Ogun States.

In an interview with Channels TV, at the Emergency Operation Centre at the Mainland Hospital in Yaba, where the patient was being quarantined, yesterday, the commissioner said the Italian was clinically stable and had no signs of respiratory symptoms which could make his infection contagious.

“By Saturday, his symptoms had subsided. He hasn’t developed any respiratory symptoms and we are quite happy about that because if he has respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing, which makes the disease more contagious,” Abayomi said.

Earlier in an interview with Arise TV, Abayomi said the authorities had identified the hotel room where the Italian patient lodged on Monday night.

“We’re going there this morning (Saturday) to decontaminate the room and the entire hotel. We will identify all the people who had contact with him in the hotel,” he added.

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