Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Fifteen more staff of iSON Xperiences, an outsourcing firm dealing with customer care services for telecommunications companies, at Oba Adebimpe Road in Dugbe, Ibadan, have tested positive for COVID-19, bring the total number of staff that have been infected in the same company to 78.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde made the disclosure on Thursday on Twitter, announcing that the state has recorded 19 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total cases to 162.
In the breakdown given by the governor, 15 of the fresh cases came from iSON Xperiences in Ibadan South West Local Government Area, two from Ido LGA, and one person each from Ibadan South West LGA and Ibadan South-East LGA.
The governor had on May 16th announced that 30 staff of iSON Xperiences tested positive for COVID-19 in Ibadan, and on May 17th he made it public that an additional eight staff of the same company were infected, bringing the total to 38.
The number of infected staff of the company, which also has another centre at Adamasingba in Ibadan, jumped to 57 on May 18th based on the announcement of 19 more infected staff. Six more staff also tested positive for the virus on May 19th, bringing the total number of infections to 63 infections. The number soon increased to 78 based on a fresh 15 cases made public in the update of May 20th.
Meanwhile, officials of the state government on Thursday visited the branch of the company at Oba Adebimpe Road, Dugbe, Ibadan, and decontaminated the facility, which had been shut down by the state government immediately after the first set of 30 staff of the company tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Governor Makinde also said in another tweet that he has not lifted the restrictions on social distancing, contrary to insinuation on social media that he has done so.
‘A statement is circulating in the press purportedly from me, stating that we have lifted the restrictions on social distancing regarding places of worship, including mosques and churches. This information is false and should be completely disregarded.
‘As I stated in my press briefing on May 18, 2020, the experts are carrying out a risk situational analysis and we will communicate whatever decisions are reached through our Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force press briefings in due course.,’ the governor stated.
