Rivers to residents: breathing with face mask better than being in ICU

 Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

RIVERS State Government has warned against disobeying the coronavirus protocols, saying breathing with a face mask is better than being in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Speaking to media executives in Port Harcourt at the weekend, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulnus Nsirim, appealed to the media to intensify partnership with the state government in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through aggressive public awareness strategy.

Nsirim, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant, Media, Amieyeofori Ibim, expressed worry over the rising cases of the pandemic in the state, which, he said, needed urgent attention.

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He said there was a need to carry out an aggressive public enlightenment programme to effectively educate and inform residents of Rivers State on the need to strictly observe the COVID-19 protocols.

He said: “As major stakeholders in the state, it is important that we see this as part of our corporate social responsibility to begin to do something very fast.

“The coronavirus is spiking in Rivers State and I think strongly that as media executives, through our various platforms, we need to intensify public enlightenment in this direction.”