Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has tested negative for the Coronavirus after undergoing blood tests to ascertain his health status.
Daniel Alabrah, acting Chief Press Secretary to the governor, made this known in a press release on Thursday in Yenogoa, the state capital.
According to Alabrah, the governor’s blood samples were taken by officials of the epidemiology unit of the state Ministry of Health and conducted the test at the Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State.
He added that the test result was obtained on Thursday from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)-accredited laboratory at the hospital.
“The result showed that Governor Douye Diri had “no evidence of COVID-19 infection,” he said.
POLITICS NIGERIA learned that before the governor took the test, he has been receiving phone calls and messages following speculations on social media that he might have been infected.
This was fuelled when he sat next to Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, who later tested positive for the virus, during the last National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, on March 19.
However, speaking on the outcome of the results, Diri expressed appreciation to Nigerians and Bayelsans for their concern, love and good wishes toward him and his family.
The governor also prayed for a reversal and healing for all those that had been infected by the pandemic.
He said: “I had to take the test so as to douse the tension and end all the speculation. Besides, I needed to know my status concerning the COVID-19. I am therefore thankful to God that the result was negative as I anticipated.
“I also thank Nigerians and Bayelsans all over the world for their concern, love and prayers. I pray for everyone that has been infected by this disease to be healed.”
Diri aded that his administration would continue to take the appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the disease in the state.
