Obaseki ratifies Edo Incident Action Plan for COVID-19

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the state’s Incident Action Plan (IAP) for Coronavirus (COVID-19), which outlines its planning, financing and implementation strategies in containing the pandemic.

The governor, who signed the document at the Government House, in Benin City, acknowledged the efforts of different stakeholders in containing the spread of the virus in the state.

He expressed his appreciation for their contribution to the state government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that their input was instrumental in ensuring that the state deployed a data-driven approach to curtailing the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, said the development of the IAP for COVID-19 is a major milestone in the fight against the pandemic, as it captures the efforts of the state to address the outbreak.

According to him, "the document speaks to everything that Edo State has been doing in regards to the outbreak of coronavirus in the state. All the budgetary allocations, expenditures, strategic planning along different pillars of intervention are captured in the document.”

The State Co-ordinator for World Health Organization (WHO), Faith Ireye, said the document gives credence to the fact that all actions executed by the State Response Team were well-guided.

The WHO scribe said, "If you are working and there is no document to support what you do; it means it is not the right thing you are doing. So, all what we have done and would continue to do are documented in the IAP. It shows that every activity we have carried out is planned for, documented, budgeted for."

Other stakeholders commended the Edo State government for demonstrating a high sense of commitment and support to flattening the curve of COVID-19.