By CHARLES IWUOHA

A total of 37 returnees who escaped from their various states were on Monday ordered to be quarantined by Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi.

The governor also ordered that the returnee persons be subjected to daily medical tests for 14 days following the pandemic coronavirus known as COVID- 19.

It will be recalled thatthe statement had on Saturday last week, ordered that all the land borders in the state be immediately shutdown to prevent the coronavirus from spreading to the state.

The order further stated that no mass transit should be allowed carrying people into the state from the borders or out of the state.

“30 persons in the state were said to have entered the bush and cross to one of the borders wherethey entered a truck and escaped. The 30 persons were covered with tapoline.

“I am quarantiningwhoever that escaped. We have 30 Ebonyians that escaped through the bush. One trailer loaded them from the bush and we have seven persons from Abia, Cross River, Delta, Onitsha, and Rivers.

“So, we are taking the 37 of them and we have prepared a holding down centre in the stadium and we are going to feed them three times a day. The medical team is going to examine them and they are going to stay here for 14 days.

“Every day, we will be testing them. So, we feed them three times a day. There is a provision for them to bath. But my own order is that anybody who wants to escape means that he/she has coronavirus and it is shoot-at-sight; that’s my directive to the service chiefs. Nobody will escape.”