There is panic among Akwa Ibom State Government House staff as many workers test positive for the novel COVID-19.
Over 10 members of the Government house press corps team tested positive for COVID-19 last month, and the number has since skyrocketed.
Following the first set of positive cases, Governor Udom Emmanuel ordered massive testing of other units within the Government House which led to more cases being discovered.
A reliable Government House source who disclosed this to newsmen on Monday, June 29, 2020 in Uyo on condition of anonymity said most of the government house staff who were subjected to test recently tested positive
The source expressed concern that the alarming rate of infected persons within the Government House, to a very great extent, revealed how unsafe the entire state may be.
The source said, “It will shock you that in two days, we recorded 17 and 18 cases respectively. Both domestic staff, protocol, security and others working in Government House were; on the order of His Excellency subjected to test, and most of them turned out positive.
“These are close to the governor and have the opportunity to be tested and treated. What happens to people who have no such opportunity? Our people may just begin to die massively. We need to do more testing. Also, we need to test those that are not close to the corridors of power.
“And members of the press corps throughout the lockdown worked closely with members of the state executive council, how then did most of them test positive for Covid-19 if the people they worked closely with are as clean as they claimed.”
State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Udoh, when contacted by newsmen did not deny that more staff of the Government House could have tested positive for Covid-19. Udoh, however, said that key persons in the State Incidence Committee and principal staff of the Government House have not tested positive.
