NONE of the 37 orientation camps of the National Youth Service Corps would be shut down should one corps member test positive to COVID-19, the Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said.
According to him, prevention, detection and prompt response remained critical factors for the safe reopening of camps.
He stated this ahead of the nationwide reopening of NYSC orientation camps on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.
A statement issued on Sunday by the NYSC Director (Press and Public Relations), Adenike Adeyemi, said Ihekweazu gave the conditions during a webinar held for the 2020 Batch ‘B’ prospective corps members getting ready for orientation course.
Ihekweazu said, “All the prospective corps members and camp officials shall undergo COVID-19 test in order to ascertain their health status and in the event of a prospective corps member testing positive, corps members should not panic as adequate measures have been put in place in all the NYSC camps to manage such case.
“No camp will be shut down as a result of one testing positive for COVID-19. Rather, care and support will be given to the victim, no one should be stigmatised.”
Ihekweazu said that COVID-19 curve had continued to flatten in the country, counselling that it was not yet uhuru.
In his remarks, the Director- General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, praised the NCDC DG and his team for working tirelessly to safeguard the health of the nation.
PUNCH