Fear has gripped a family in Limawa area of Minna, the Niger State capital, leading to their denying a family member access to the family compound over fear that he had contracted the Coronavirus disease.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered from a family member, Malam Umar Mohammed, on Friday that the suspect, a tanker driver is his younger brother, but did not give more details.

Mohammed said that the suspect just returned from a trip to Lagos.

“We took the hard decision when we noticed that he was coughing and sneezing which we were told are some of the symptoms of the virus,” he said.

He said that trouble started when his brother returned from a trip from Lagos, but was denied access to his apartment by other members of the family who insisted that, he must report himself to the state task force against COVID-19.

The family source said that the family’s action forced his brother to report himself to the task force isolation Centre at the Minna General Hospital for necessary test.

He said that they took the decision to save the family members due to the large nature of the family.

“We have heard a lot about the deadly nature of the COVID-19 all over the world and Nigeria.

“Therefore, we did not want to take chances because our family is large with children, youths and elderly people,” he said.

Confirming the incident, Dr Mohammed Sidi, the state Commissioner of Health, told newsmen that it was as a result of the awareness created by the state government about the pandemic that the family reported their own.

Sidi also a member of the state COVID-19 task force, said that the driver whose details were not given was already with the task force on isolation to ascertain his true status.

According to Sidi, “you know that in view of the current pandemic, when people notice someone coughing and sneezing persistently, they infer to the rampaging Covid-19.” (NAN)

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