COVID-19: C’River designates Tinapa Hotel as Isolation centre

Nsa Gill, Calabar

Cross River State Government has kept sealed lips over the presence of 28 American oil workers with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) believed to be lodging in Tinapa Lakeside hotel, which has been designated as a backup Isolation Centre in preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Controversy broke out a few days ago about 35 Americans oil workers with the NNPC, who landed Lagos and were scheduled to board another flight to Calabar which the government of Cross River State reportedly refused them entry into the state baring the risk factor of COVID-19 and having Americans without proper screening.

However, impeccable sources have confirmed that besides the 35 Americans, who were refused entry on the directives of the State government, there are 28 Americans, also oil workers, who had travelled by road from Port Harcourt to Calabar and negotiated for the entire accommodation in Tinapa Lakeside hotel.

The Americans are believed to be in forced self-quarantine and await a clean bill of health before being taken to the oil rig facilities where they work.

Cross River State has no facility to test for COVID-19 neither does the state have any oil rig facility that would have brought the Americans to the state.

Commissioner for Health Dr. Beta Edu had mentioned the government plans to designate the facility in a backup plan while inaugurating a response team in the state stadium last week.

However, in response to the presence of the 28 Americans in Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, she denied knowledge of their presence and promised to visit the resort to confirm the story.

But 24 hours after, she has kept sealed lips without responding to telephone calls.
The Commissioner for Information, Asu Okang, also has not responded to calls nor replied to SMS messages.

Chairman, Clinical Advisory Committee (C-MAC) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, Prof. Ogbu Ngim confirmed the Commissioner for Health had mentioned the use of Tinapa Hotel as a backup Isolation centre in the State but insisted “any further inquiry should be gotten from the Commissioner”.

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But one of the sources, who is very much privy to their stay in the hotel spoke to some journalists in confidence about the development, said: “They are oil workers from Port-Harcourt. Why did they not stay in Port-Harcourt and fly with their chopper to their rig? Why should they come in, and stay quietly in a hotel, when hotels are shutting down?

“So, there is something fishy about their stay. They don’t want the workers to go out and funnily enough, Tinapa is on the outskirts of Calabar and its not even functioning as before to accommodate guests, let alone oil workers who often go for the best hotel in town. Besides, Cross River has no oil rig or platform.

“Or could it be that as rig workers, they don’t want the rig to be infected or alarmed, hence they decided to keep them onshore, first for observation for some time as they are managed by their own doctor?

“This disease grows in astrometry order, which is one that can affect one, two infect four and in that order. That is why the Cross River State Government has to get to the bottom of it because if 28 persons are infected, it is possible over 1,000 can get the virus in Calabar.”