The Executive Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has exercised his prerogative of Mercy on 54 prisoners as part of measures to contain the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic in the State.
Obiano also declared that out of the 20 tests carried out on the citizens, 20 returned negative while the earlier announced index case remains the only one positive for Coronavirus in Anambra.
The declaration was made by the Governor on Saturday evening in Awka during his broadcast to update the people on activities of his government in fighting COVID -19.
Obiano said the world was going through an extraordinary time, adding that the moment called for acts that would renew and restore the faith in humanity.
“It is as result of this that I have decided to exercise my Prerogative of Mercy and released 54 prisoners from the four correctional facilities in Anambra State.
“I hope that this decision will not only bring hope and joy to some families but that it will also help to decongest our correctional facilities. Today, I am delighted to announce that the report reaching me from the Protective Care Center indicates that our Index Case is responding very well to treatment.
“In fact, the first post treatment result from the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) returned Negative for SARS-CoV 2. However, following the standards which have been rigorously applied by NCDC since the outbreak of the pandemic in Nigeria, he will go for a second round of test before he can be conclusively declared negative.”
He added that the medical team had successfully tracked 39 people who had direct contact with the Index Case. Out of this number, 5 were in Protective Care Center while the rest were quarantined at home.
“Meanwhile, 6 people out of the 39 contacts have tested negative for Coronavirus. These are people who met directly with the Index Case 14 days ago. Similarly, out of 20 samples tested for the virus from Anambra State so far, only the Index Case returned Positive, the rest are negative,” he said.
