The Lagos State Government has disclosed that no fewer than four coronavirus patients may be prosecuted for supplying medical officials with wrong information on their travel history and other details on their activities in the state.
It added that the decision to prosecute positive coronavirus cases was because they are endangering their lives, and the chances of medical officials and other patients at their hospital of admission from contracting the disease are also slim.
The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, revealed the plan to prosecute the patients on Monday while briefing newsmen on fresh strategies adopted by the State Government to flatten the curve of coronavirus in the state.
Sanwo-Olu hinted that the prosecution would serve as a deterrent to others planning to hide details on their activities before and after the lockdown was imposed on the State by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, the state government officials were currently working on three or four names already and their names will be published to serve as a deterrent to the others.
“We have taken a decision that we will be prosecuting patients that hide their details at inception and were later found to have the virus after several tests. And when they do this, they are not endangering their lives alone but the lives of our health workers. If they failed to give details, there is no way the health officials can know where they are coming from and who you have had contact with before coming to the hospital.
“We believe that when the arm of the law catches a few, everyone will know that we truly mean business. While we are doing this, it is also time for our health officials to heighten their level of suspicion on any patient that they come across. And they should raise alarm on anyone COVID-19 cases they discovered at their point of duty.
“This is not the time for people to joke on who they are or not. Everyone must be 100 percent sincere on whatever questions they are asked,” the governor added.
