No fewer than ten members of Akwa Ibom Government House Press Corps are reported to have tested positive to Covid-19.
Members of the press corps were, according to our source subjected to test early Wednesday morning, following an earlier test result which confirmed one of the cameramen attached to government house to have been positive.
Our source further confirmed that a good number of press corps members whose test results came out positive were invited to the isolation centre at Ibom Specialist Hospital on friday evening.
This development has caused panic in the Hilltop Mansion as the Government House is popularity known as persons who had contact with the affected journalists are being traced.
Workers in the Government House are said to be scared of each other as they are not sure who has contact with the infected persons and the surfaces, equipment and machines that they might have come in contact with within the premises that are infected.
The ongoing contact tracing which has led to strange calls on members of the correspondents chapel who had recently interracted with their Government House counterparts has to a very great extent authenticated the report.
One of those contacted, Mr Etorobong Inyang of The Edge News took to his Facebook page on Saturday to announce that he has received calls from the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo, that he should report there.
“BREAKING! Just received a call from Ibom Multi Speciality Hospital that I’m being contact traced for COVID- 19. Seriously #justthinking,” Inyang posted on his timeline.
Inyang observed that journalists are now endangered species in the course of reporting the pandemic.
Our correspondent, Idongesit Ashemeri who is also Chairman of Correspondents Chapel, Akwa Ibom state, while alerting her members of the looming danger said she has been contacted through two of her colleagues who unfortunately tested positive to the virus in their lines of duty.
She continued that she will submit herself to test if invited, and explained: “Information available to us has it that not less than 10 of our colleagues attached to Government House press corps have been infected with Covid-19. You would not expect that we did not at one point or the other have close contacts and interactions with these colleagues.”
“‘I therefore want to appeal to all members of Correspondents chapel to re-strengthen their preventive measures, read on available home remedies that have worked for many and apply same with members of your families. I have no doubt that we will someday come out of this. Please stay safe”, she added
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Mr Ekerete Udoh said “I don’t know what you are talking about. The rumour is totally unfounded. (Independent)
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