Coronavirus: 28 persons quarantined in Ogun state as Lafarge cement factory is shut down

About 28 persons have been placed under quarantine in Ogun state due to their contact with the Italian man who is Nigeria’s first case of the deadly Coronavirus disease.

The Italian, came into Nigeria on Monday aboard Turkish Airlines and went straight to Ewekoro, Ogun State, where he had contact with several Lafarge employees.

The cement factory has allegedly since been shutdown and several employees quarantined. An employee of the company, who drove an Italian infected with Coronavirus with an ambulance to Lagos for medical attention, has also been taken in.

A clinic situated inside the cement factory has also been shut down while staff are currently locked inside a room after fears grew that the Italian had been in contact with many persons in Ogun State before being rushed to Lagos for medical help.

The Italian had found his way into Nigeria aboard Turkish Airlines on Monday, February 24, 2020 around 9:40pm.

He had shown no symptoms while arriving but had developed body pains and a fever after visiting Lafarge.

He was thereafter taken to the company’s clinic that evening and was placed under observation while the Ogun State Government was notified of his situation.

The driver who drove the Italian to Lagos, was reportedly exposed to him for at least five hours and was not isolated or quarantined but allowed to go home.

As a result of this, he was also exposed to several other person and heightened the risk of the virus spreading further.

A source at Lafarge allegedly told SaharaReporters that,

“There are so many persons that had been exposed to the index case and if these people are not found and quarantined, we could be in big trouble.”

READ: Watch moment residents of Maiduguri booed President Buhari