Details have emerged that the 30 coronavirus cases reported in Oyo State on Saturday, May 18 were all staff of a customer experience provider, iSON Xperiences, in Ibadan.
iSON Xperiences provides services for two of the biggest telecommunications firms in Nigeria.
Governor Seyi Makinde had on Saturday confirmed in a Twitter thread that 30 out of 31 new cases recorded in the state were members of staff of the same organisation based in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
He wrote: “The COVID-19 confirmation tests for 31 suspected cases came back positive. Thirty of these cases are members of staff of the same organisation based in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area. The organisation has been shut down and will be decontaminated.
“We urge members of the public to remain calm as the situation is under control. Intensified contact tracing has already commenced. We will give an update on any additional measures that may need to be taken.”
The governor added that the remaining one case was from Egbeda Local Government Area, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo as of May 16 to 107.
A source close to iSON Xperiences, however, told Qed.ng on Monday that the company’s Ibadan office had since been shut down over the incident.
Before the outbreak in the firm, a report in March claimed the company was ignoring recommended measures to protect its employees and clients. The firm denied it.
However, iSON Xperiences, in a statement on Monday, said it “implemented strict Covid19 pandemic preventive measures including social distancing norms, Covid awareness campaigns for employees, mandatory use of sanitizer and masks, temperature checks, general health check at the in-house clinic based on WHO guidelines.”
The statement added: “Important points with regards to our Nigeria operations – we have some of our employees who were detected positive for Covid-19 at one of our centres in Ibadan. Employees with suspected risks have undergone the necessary test and placed in isolation under the supervision of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Together with the authorities, we will ensure the full return of our employees to good health for their eventual resumption back at work.
“As of now, our office premise is temporarily closed for thorough disinfection. We are focused on providing services in a safe and healthy environment, and taking the necessary proactive measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus.”
The company thanked the Oyo State Government Task Force on COVID-19, the NCDC and its clients “for their invaluable support in handling the unprecedented situation.”
