Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, and members of his family on Thursday received results of the coronavirus tests conducted on them and they all tested negative for the disease.
The Director of Press and Public Affairs in the state, Dr. Makut Macham, who disclosed this in a statement in Jos, said the samples of the governor and members of his family were taken two days ago by health officials and forwarded to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) laboratory in Abuja.
According to the statement, the governor took the test with his family in order to address the stigma gradually building up on the disease.
The statement read: “The governor encouraged the people that coronavirus is not a death sentence and if we are not careful, people can die out of fear and stigma.
“I call on all our citizens, particularly those who notice any symptoms of the disease, including difficulty in breathing, fever, cough, sore throat, headache, and general fatigue, or have had contact with any infected person to report to health officials and submit themselves for examination.”
Lalong assured the people that the Plateau State government would continue to take proactive measures including a one-week total lockdown beginning from midnight of Thursday to prevent movements that could expose the state to the disease.