COVID-19: No corps member, camp official tested positive – NYSC

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) management has refuted a report by a news media on alleged red alert at the NYSC camp on positivity of 109 corps members, saying neither corps member nor camp official tested positive.

Reacting to the news report, Wednesday, the Director Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, said there is clearly no single case of COVID-19 in any NYSC camp since it is not possible for anyone that tested positive to gain access to the camp, saying the caption and the whole body of the story is misleading.

Mrs Adeyemi while speaking with journalists in Abuja said it is impossible for any corp members in the orientation camp to test positive because of the processes put in place by the scheme, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19.

“Nobody is allowed into the camp without COVID-19 test conducted by the NCDC officials to ascertain that only those confirmed negative are allowed into the camp, anyone that tested positive are taken into isolation immediately by NCDC and in the camp, all none pharmaceutical interventions are strictly adhered to without compromise.

“There is the need for the media to watch the type of headlines they write. This type of misleading headlines can cause apprehension and fear in the minds of parents and the host communities. It is wrong and untrue that 109 corps members tested positive in the orientation camp.

“That caption and body of the story are very misleading. I want to restates that there is no COVID-19 positive corps member in any of the 37 NYSC orientation camps nationwide.

“Please, note that before any prospective corps member is admitted into the 37 camps, they must undergo COVID-19 test. Only those that tested negative are admitted. The same rule applies to camp officials and nobody is allowed into the camp without COVID-19 test. Those that tested positive were handed over to the NCDC for treatment and management,” she stated.