The director for Special Services and Politics at the office of the Secretary to the State Government and member of the Gombe State task force on COVID-19, Shuaibu Danlami, has died from coronavirus complications.

The Chairman of the State task force on COVID-19, Idris Mohammed, who made this known to newsmen Wednesday, said both the SSG’s office complex and the Government House clinic will be closed for decontamination.

According to him, contact tracing has also begun following the confirmation.

He said ”The office of the Secretary to the Gombe State Government, SSG as well as the Government House clinic, are to be closed after a confirmation that the coronavirus test result of the government House staff who died Sunday returned positive.

”The State Taskforce on COVID-19 through its Rapid Response Team has already begun line listing and contact tracing following the confirmation.

”To this end, all high-risk areas at the Government House, especially the office of the deceased, that of the SSG and the clinic where he was admitted will be fumigated, and samples of the occupants collected for testing.

”Also, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Taskforce has also begun tracing individuals who participated in the deceased’s burial and his family members for counseling, testing, and isolation if found positive.”

Mohammed also said that the state Governor, Inuwa Yahaya has approved the expansion and modification of the COVID-19 laboratory at the State specialist hospital.

He said the approval followed a recommendation by officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, before the newly acquired PCR machine was installed.

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NEWSMember of COVID-19 taskforce dies from coronavirus in Gombe