COVID-19: Lagos govt. increases hazard allowance of health workers N25, 000, discharges 9 more patients

By OLUWAFUNKE ISHOLA/FLORENCE ONUEGBU

The Lagos State government, on Tuesday, announced the discharge of nine more Coronavirus patients, having tested negative twice for the virus.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a statement, said that the number of discharged patients from the isolation centres in the state was now 107.

“Good people of Lagos, I have more great news from our isolation facilities. Nine more persons, five females and four males, including one foreign national – a Polish, have been discharged to join the society.

“The patients, five from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba and four from the Onikan Isolation Centre, were discharged, having fully recovered and tested negative twice, consecutively for COVID-19.

“With this, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our facilities is now 107,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The COVID-19 incident commander urged residents to stay safe at home, as the frontline health workers recorded successes in the battle against COVID-19.

He also urged them to continue to practise social distancing and adopt highest possible personal and hand hygiene.

“This is the only way we can break the chain of transmission of the infection. Thank you all for your continued perseverance and patience,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has approved an increase in the hazard allowance of health workers in the state public service from N5,000 to N25,000.

Sanwo-Olu, through a tweet by Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Jubril Gawat, on Tuesday said the increment was for the month of April, 2020.

A circular dated April 21, 2020 and signed by the Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, which was attached to Gawat’s tweet, gave details of the payment.

The circular titled: ‘INCREMENT OF HAZARD ALLOWANCE FOR ALL HEALTH OFFICERS IN LAGOS STATE PUBLIC SERVICE.

“In appreciation of the dedication of all Health Officers in Lagos State to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as well as their daily hazardous exposure to the highly contagious disease.

“It is hereby notified for general information that Mr Governor has approved the increment of Hazard Allowance for all Health Officers in Lagos State from N5,000 (Five Thousand Naira) to N25,000 (Twenty-Five Thousand Naira) for the month of April, 2020.

“The gesture is an incentive to all health officers in the state, as frontline responders in the fight against the pandemic.

“It is believed that the officers would reciprocate same with more doggedness and enthusiasm towards duty in all health facilities state-wide.

“Furthermore, I wish to reiterate that our collective efforts will yield the desired result, as this pandemic shall pass.

“Accounting officers are enjoined to note the contents of this circular and give it the service-wide publicity it deserves,” the circular reads.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that Sanwo-Olu had earlier promised to increase hazard allowance for all health workers, irrespective of being on COVID-19 frontline or not. (NAN)