Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, on Tuesday, admitted using hotels as makeshift isolation centres.
According to the governor, suspected cases of coronavirus are taken to hotels to avoid the spread at the community level.
The governor made this known while addressing the head of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Chikwe Ihekweazu, during a visit to Kano.
“We are doing as much as we can to tame the situation. That is why those suspected cases that are less privileged, we take them to (a) hotel after taking their samples, to keep them there,” the governor’s spokesperson, Abba Anwar, quoted his principal as saying in a statement.
Mr Ganduje added that all the index cases in Kano are within the metropolitan Local Government Areas, as such, community transmission is not there.
“There is a need to increase our capacity for testing our suspected cases. At the same time, we also need more collection centres,” the governor pleaded with NCDC.
The governor added that so far, the state does not have very serious cases which may need the usage of ventilators and monitors.
Mr Ganduje, however, admitted not being surprised by the surge in infections owing to the cosmopolitan nature of Kano.
“There is no surprise that the numbers of cases are rising. Kano becomes the third in this category of states with highest infection. It is just like what is happening in other global cities, due to the metropolitan nature of the settlement, the governor said.
In his remarks, Ihekweazu commended Kano’s response to the fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The NCDC chief said Kano’s response team is one of the best in the country.”We appreciate your good support and contribution in the state response team. We have no other option but to support you, Your Excellency,” he said to the governor.
Mr Ihekweazu, who was on an assessment tour in the state, visited some Isolation Centres to see the level of the state’s preparedness.
“We are supporting you with all our commitment. It is good to let you, Your Excellency, know that, we have a collective responsibility to do our very best to make sure that Kano is supported to move forward”.
Kano is currently the country’s third worst-hit with 59 behind Lagos (376) and the Federal Capital Territory (86).
