The Niger State Government has confirmed that 18 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted to Niger State have tested positive to COVID-19.
The State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Muhammed S. Idris, disclosed this in Minna during a briefing at the government house.
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Idris announced that the prospective corps members were confirmed positive after the Ministry of Health conducted the routine test on them.
With the development, the Commissioner said the State government had decided to resuscitate the state COVID-19 task force and ensure that all COVID-19 safety protocols are re-enforced.
“We agreed that the state government would resuscitate the task force on COVID-19 to resuscitate the COVID-19 protocols as an immediate action.
“Nobody would have access to all public offices without wearing facemasks.
“All heads of Ministries, Departments and Parastatals have been directed to provide handwashing facilities.”
Idris added that the state would embark on a massive sensitization campaign while the task force would ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols are observed to the fullest.
Daily Trust had earlier on Wednesday reported that there were concerns among authorities and young graduates currently at the various camps of the NYSC across the country, as at least 109 prospective corps members were diagnosed with COVID-19.
The NYSC orientation camps were opened at the weekend for Batch B, Stream 1 of this year’s season of the national youth service.
The cases were detected following mandatory COVID-19 tests conducted on reporting corps members. The identified cases, our reporters gathered, have been moved to isolation centres in the respective states.
NYSC officials at the states level have constituted COVID-19 Vanguard, a team to aid enforce compliance to health protocols on the camps.
The federal government had, on Monday, raised the alarm over the spread of the contagious Delta variant of the virus to more states, as authorities mull fresh lockdown for the worst-hit states.
Data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows a sharp spike in incidences with 851 cases recorded in the first two days of August.
Similarly, the agency’s statistics indicate that 11 persons died from COVID-19 complications on the second day of the month.
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