The wife of the Governor of Benue State, Mrs. Eunice Ortom, her son, and some of her aides have tested positive for Covid-19.
Mrs. Ortom disclosed this in a statement she personally signed around 11:30pm on Friday.
“Few moments ago this evening, I received my result from the tests earlier carried out on me by NCDC personnel on routine screening at Government House, Makurdi which returned that I and my son, and some staff are Covid-19 positive.
“We have from this moment, gone into total isolation as required by the protocols and would immediately begin the management treatment as advised by medical experts.
“While I have taken the responsibility to personally call everyone I can recall to have had recent contact with to go for testing, I advise anyone who has had close contact with me in the last 2 weeks and the public to go for screening and testing.
“I wish to reiterate that being Covid-19 positive is not a death sentence as evident by the many recoveries recorded thus far. So there is no need to panic, but we should continue to be responsible in our actions so as to keep others safe,” she said.
The governor’s wife therefore encouraged people to take preventive measures and be safe by observing the primary protocols such as wearing of masks, constant washing of hands, maintaining social distancing and staying indoors if not necessary to go out.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Terver Akase, had last Tuesday confirmed that his principal, Governor Samuel Ortom, had taken a second Covid-19 test and that the result was being awaited.
It is not immediately clear if Orton’s result had been released and what the test result read.
Since the relaxed lockdown in the state, the coronavirus infection rate has increased and there are palpable fear that if something is not done, it will go out of hand.
Only recently, the Vice-Chancellor of the Benue State University tested positive to the virus.