Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has gone into self-isolation for 14 days after returning from China.
Ihekweazu went to China recently for a WHO function and upon his arrival, he opted for self-isolation for a period of 14 days after testing negative for Coronavirus.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, while briefing members of the Senate on steps his ministry has taken to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country, mentioned that the DG of NCDC went into self-isolation because he just returned from China.
“WHO sent a special delegation to go into China and speak to scientists, look at the cases, try and understand these disease more, the behavior of the virus. It has been found that majority of the people killed are people who have other sicknesses before: tuberculosis, cancer, HIV.
Relatively young people are involved and all elderly people. Among those scientists chosen is the Director General of the NCDC. We are very proud and honoured that he was the only African who was among the experts. They went there for about nine days.
We have already established rules here that anybody who has been to China will go into self-quarantine. Chikwe has gone and come back. He has done the test, he is negative but we have insisted he must undergo the 14 days quarantine which is why he is not here. He is not allowed to come out until after 14 days. Because if you make the rule, you must obey it which is to set the example in Nigeria.” Ehanire told the lawmakers.
NCDC via its verified Twitter handle, confirmed the news and also refuted claims that Chikwe was quarantined over Coronavirus.
