The Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) on Saturday denied reports making round that a senior staff of the authority tested positive to the coronavirus disease.
A report of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak at the port had gone viral on some maritime stakeholders’ whatsapp platforms on Friday raising fears among practitioners.
But NPA in a statement by its General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Jatto A. Adams in Lagos said none of its staff tested positive to COVID-19, but a staff of one of the terminals at the ports, who has now been quarantined while the company has taken all necessary precautions.
According to the statement, “The fact is that a member of staff of one of the terminals at the ports, who has not been at the office since Friday April 17, 2020 had visited his father-in-law and family during the weekend of Friday, April 17, 2020 and Sunday April 19, 2020.
“On arrival, he discovered that the medical practitioner father-in- law, his own wife and children had taken ill. On Monday, April 20, they were all diagnosed with coronavirus as a result of which he decided to isolate himself and get tested. He wrote to the office to inform them about the situation and his decision to self-isolate.
“On Thursday, April 23, 2020, he again wrote to inform the company that he had tested positive to coronavirus and that the entire family was now receiving treatment at one of the isolation centres in Lagos.
“The company immediately (on the same Thursday, April 23,2020) wrote to inform and seek advice from the Coordinator of Port Health Services in line with guidelines laid down by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for the report of COVID-19 incidents.
“The company, in line with advice from Port Health Services, has disinfected the premises, while all personnel who interacted with the staff have been identified and asked to self-isolate.
“The authority wishes to appeal to the media to verify information before going to press in order to avoid raising unnecessary tension.
“There are laid down procedures for the management of suspicions of COVID-19 incidents at the ports and the authority will, in collaboration with all other government agencies, follow these processes through whenever the occasions arise.”
