The Kaduna State Government on Saturday, confirmed a new case of coronavirus. The new case had no connection to the first 5 cases, state government official has said. The number of COVID-19 infected persons in the state as at Friday, had risen to six.

Dr.Amina Mohammed Baloni, the Commissioner for Health said that the latest case was a male who worked as a gateman in the Mando area and recently returned from Lagos.

She said the 6th case had ‘’ traveled to Kaduna on public transport and made contact with the authorities as his symptoms worsened. The patient has been evacuated to the state’s Infectious Disease Centre. ‘’

According to Baloni, the latest case presented the nightmare scenario of possible community transmission of Covid-19 in the state .

‘’It is vey difficult and complicated to trace the contacts of a patient who came from Lagos via public transport and has had some instance of local commuting since his arrival,” she said.

‘’The Rapid Response Team is trying its utmost to elicit from him a list of his contacts, so that they can be traced and monitored. He does not know who his fellow passengers from Lagos were. But the team is working to develop an idea of his local contacts in Kaduna, including any vehicles he commuted in and people he met at the hospital he visited and within his neighbourhood,’’ she said

‘’It was in order to prevent and avert a scenario like this that the government has consistently appealed to the public to practice social distancing and directed commercial buses to carry no more than two passengers per row.’’

‘’The instances that have now being recorded of people spreading Covid-19 from one state to another further reinforces the need to stop all inter-state travel. People need to stay in one place and help reduce the footprint of Covid-19,’’ she said.

The government also outrightly banned motorcycle taxis and Keke Napeps because they do not satisfy the conditions for social distancing,she said.

“Avoid large gatherings and congregational prayers, now that there is a case of possible community transmission of Covid-19, residents must begin to take more seriously the quarantine conditions. ‘’

‘’It is important to stay at home, go out only when absolutely necessary and practice personal hygiene, especially washing hands with soap and water regularly. Residents should also observe respiratory hygiene.’’

” These are dangerous times, but we can work together to stop this disease from spreading. It is cheaper and better to prevent Covid-19 than to catch it,” she said.