By Gbadamosi oladimeji
The Lagos State Government has vowed to prosecute those returning to the state who lie or conceal their travel history to evade testing for coronavirus.
Four of such persons have already been identified and would soon be charged to court according to the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday at the State House, Lagos, Sanwo-Olu described the action of such people as dangerous, noting that it poses health risks to not only people treating them but also the general public.
“It speaks to the dignity of what we truly believe in. After coming out of this meeting, we have resolved that we are actually going to prosecute people” he noted.
“This is not the time for people to joke about who they are or who they are not,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Sanwo-Olu advised Lagosians to wear locally made face masks stressing that surgical facemasks or N95 are strictly for health officials only.
Speaking on the restriction of movement in the state, Governor Sanwo-Olu urged residents to persevere and continue to avoid unnecessary movements.
“We are making sacrifice today to avoid disaster tomorrow,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed government has discovered that since the outbreak of this pandemic in Lagos, the high and influential people who had the virus always lied about their travel history, which makes it difficult for the health workers to figure out those people they might have made contact with.
With this public acknowledgement by the Governor of concealment by some of the infected persons, observers say it shows that the Lagos State COVID-19 strategy may not be as data driven and intelligence based, as earlier believed, considering that critical information such as travel history is left to chances and individual candour of each patient.
In a working system, they say Lagos State ought to have coordinated with aviation authorities and the Nigeria Immigration Service for the travel histories of all travelers for the past 5 months.
It also belies, analysts say, the narrative put out earlier that the government had embarked on contact tracing of all incoming passengers since the outbreak of the pandemic.
