The governor made the call on Saturday in Asaba while inaugurating an Isolation Centre built and donated to Delta Government by NNPC/Agip Joint Venture under the auspices of Oil and Gas Industry Covid-19 Medical Infrastructure.
He said that there was urgent need for more test kits to be provided for state governments, noting that the desired results of containing the virus would be possible with simultaneous testing in all the states, with identified victims isolated while contact tracing would be carried out.
He said that they are happy with the interventions of the operators of the oil and gas sector with Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and wished for an interface with the Nigerian Governors Forum for the states to be given what they need to fight Covid-19.
He said that the earlier they are able to get test kits in all the states of the federation, the better, because, observing the trend, some states are no longer testing for the virus and by the time they resume testing, the cases must have spread.
He also emphasized that early and continuous testing makes it easy to identify those affected and also ensure quick contact-tracing.
He also commended the good relationship that the state has with the oil companies, which has given a boost to oil output.
The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, thanked Okowa for his administration’s successes in the provision of infrastructure in the state, and said that the provision of the temporary isolation centre was due to the urgent medical challenges posed by Covid-19.
Kyari said that it is their intention as oil companies to build a permanent and fully diagnostic centre in Delta State and we are here to support the state in the fight against Covid-19 as a state with the highest number of oil infrastructure.
Also, Managing Director of Nigeria Agip Oil Company, Mr Lorenzo Fiorillo, in an address, said that defeating Covid-19 scourge at this critical moment calls for the sort of concerted, collective and sustainable effort through collaboration between government and the private sector.