Elofu-Dike, who was speaking in one of the Orphanage Homes in Warri on Friday,noted that the state government, under the watch of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, had been proactive by using the sensitisation machinery at its disposal through the bureau to educate and sensitise residents on the nature and preventive measures against the dreaded virus before it eventually manifested in the state.He said the effort was geared towards saving lives of residents from the virus, adding that government would continue to checkmate the spread of the virus in the state.
The farmer maintained that the lockdown order of the state government was not a punitive measure against residents, but a deliberate decision to curb the spread of the virus and enjoined residents of the state to complement the good intentions of government by complying with directives put in place to ensure the safety of the people from the dreaded pandemic.
Elofu-Dike spoke on the need for residents to appreciate the present situation in the state, adding that government alone could hardly win the daunting war against the dreaded virus, as no country in the world could feed the entire citizenry without the assistance of corporate organisations and public spirited individuals.
He said the state government meant well with its palliative measures to cushion the effect of the earlier stay-at-home order, stressing that all hands should be on deck to ensure that the state government succeeded in its strong determination to curb the spread of the virus in the state.
He said that the coronavirus pandemic was impacting negatively on businesses adding consumption was not as high as it used to be because people were under the lockdown. The business leader said if the situation continued as it is quite a number of businesses would be unable to meet their obligations noting that the government should support the business sector.
He said the coronavirus pandemic was sufficient reason for most businesses to declare ‘force majeure’ in which they would be unable to meet their responsibilities. He has called for collaboration between different tiers of government to fight the spread of coronavirus. He called on critical stakeholders and opinion leaders in the communities to ensure that the right information on what the state government was doing to stem the tide of the virus in the state got to the public at all times.