Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The number of positive cases in Bayelsa State has spread to three more local government areas in the state.
Presently Bayelsa has 147 active cases spread across six local government areas out of the eight local government areas.
Yenagoa Local Government Area remains the epicentre with 97% of the cases while Ogia and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas also had positive cases.
Latest reports indicated that the infection has spread to Nembe, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Ekeremor Local Government Areas.
According to investigations, COVID-19 task force team is working seriously to set up a molecular laboratory at the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) state to ensure more residents of the state are tested.
The BMU has already being designated as the Community Support Centre and the decision to set up the molecular laboratory there would boost government efforts to curtail the spread of the infection.
Meanwhile Governor Douye Diri has urged the Nigerian Police and other security operatives not to harass and extort money from members of the public under the guise of enforcing the order on compulsory use of facemask.
Diri represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo stated this while donating tens of thousands of facemasks to representatives of Bankers, Markets, Road Transport Workers, Maritime, and Tricycle Owners unions in Government House, Yenagoa.
According to him the state government has neither given any taskforce nor the police the mandate to place a sanction of fine on anybody found without a facemask.
While stressing the need for due process in the enforcement of laws to avoid trampling on the fundamental human rights of the citizens, he said the state government has always shown leniency and empathy in executing the COVID-19 protocols and orders with a view to mitigating its attendant harsh consequences on the people.