FG Okays 4 Stadia, NYSC Camps As Isolation Centres For COVID-19 Cases

• Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna

BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI, ABUJA – As pressure continues to mount for expansive measures at containing the corona virus in the country, the Federal Government has approved four national stadiums and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps as isolation centres for confirmed patients.

Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, listed the stadiums as: Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja; National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos; Liberty Stadium, Ibadan; and Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.

The Minister twitted on Friday that: “Mr. President has approved for the Ministry of Youth and Sports to open and make available the stadiums in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, and Kaduna, as well as our NYSC camps nationwide for use as isolation centres, as they are needed.

According to Dare; “We are in touch with relevant authorities. We are in this together. And together we shall overcome. I call on the youths of Nigeria to be at the vanguard of dissemination of timely and accurate information via social media to Nigerians in their communities. We must ratchet up the awareness campaign for our people.

“The government is being proactive by making available necessary resources and infrastructure in this race against time. Our hope and prayers are that this pandemic will be stopped sooner rather than later.”

He further wrote on his Twitter handle that; “The identification and fumigation of multiple buildings such as the multipurpose sports hall, gyms etc. located in the stadium will commence shortly.

“The stadiums are huge complexes with many outdoor and indoor areas. Medical personnel and authorities will determine the appropriate areas of usage if and when necessary.”

Consequently, “Stadiums can be used as testing centres and because of space they will allow for required distancing. Our prayers are that Nigeria never gets to this level – but we must all be prepared to support the system. God bless all our doctors and medical staff at this critical time”, the Sports Minister said.

At present, Nigeria has a total of 81 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including the 11 new cases identified by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) in Lagos, Enugu, and Edo states as well as Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)