The lockdown announced by the Rivers State Government is still fully in force, with most businesses around Port Harcourt apparently shut while a partial curfew officially declared in some parts of the State capital has been lifted.
The usually busy roads and streets are almost quiet, with many scurrying to buy much needed essentials for the household.
The weekly Eketa market at Igbodo in the Etche local Government Area which is one of the biggest markets in the State did not operate at the weekend.
It was shutdown by SARS operatives deployed to ensure strict adherence to the directives issued by the State Government.
Chimex Ndubuisi reports from Oyigbo that life has slowed down in that semi-urban centre.
The timber market as well as other businesses, his report says, have been closed to the public.
In Port Harcourt, Elyger Agwu who went round the markets say they are securely shut while prices of commodities are still out of reach.
According to him, prices of garri processed from cassava as well as tomatoes, onions vegetables and beef have become highly prohibitive.
In the grassroots where a basin of garri rose to between N3,500 and N4,500 have marginally reduced, but in the urban and semi urban centres, the price of the commodity remains marginally high.
So far, no new case of the Coronavirus has been reported in the State.
This may be as, a result of the stiff directives issued by the Rivers State Government.
Rivers has only one incident. Incidentally, there is no evidence, at least for now, that any Rivers person has traits of the virus.
The only recorded case is traceable to a 19-year old lady from Edo State who is reputed to have brought the ailment into the State.
Her identity is shrouded in secrecy, but officials here say she is a model who was in Germany and Italy.
On Tuesday shops were securely locked, following the instructions of Governor Nyesom Wike, but our correspondents who are monitoring the situation on ground say supermarkets and other shops that deal on groceries have since reopened their doors to the public. Governor Wike who has made exceptions to the ban list to include the sale of food items and medical consumables had barred travellers from entering Rivers State.
Some of those coming in from the East West Road had been barred at the weekend from entering the State.
Wike who addressed the people last week vowed to protect the Rivers people and residents in the State from the ravaging virus through the pragmatic implementation of strategies that have since gone into operation.
These include the ban on open religious worship, night clubs and public parks as well as restrictions on weddings and burial ceremonies.
Information reaching our news desk suggest that the Edo lady may have actually embarked on self isolation on her return to the State.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of the State owned newspaper has been eased out of his job, following a news item published last week.
He is the latest casualty of the Coronavirus which has transformed into a nightmare for the rest of mankind.
What is seen as the freedom to transmit and impact knowledge has become an albatross, not just for the General Manager, but for all who believe in the freedom of the press.
It is not clear for now if the Government would renege on its sack, but many insiders say the report was greeted with anger when the State owned newspaper hit the streets. That report may have insinuated that a serving senator might have been linked to the importation of the virus, a claim that has long been disputed.
In the meantime, government has lifted the curfew placed in parts of the city. The chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council and his deputy who were placed on suspension have been forgiven, due to what the Governor said was the intervention of well meaning persons.