Yemisi Izuora
The Indian on the staff of Onshore Construction Company, an instrumentation contracting firm with Dangote Fertilizer Limited, who recently shown symptoms associated with COVID-19 and subsequently isolated, has tested negative.
Mr. Francis Awowole-Browne, the Media Relations/Corporate Communications of Dangote Industries Limited, confirmed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.
Awowole-Browne in a statement said that the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, had disclosed the outcome of the test through his Twitter handle.
According to the tweet, “An Indian national that was admitted in our facility with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 has tested negative.
“He is doing perfectly well in our isolation unit and his case will be reviewed”, the tweet said.
Awowole-Browne also said that the management of Dangote Industries Limited had announced that an Indian national working for a third party firm at its fertilizer plant had shown up at the site’s clinic exhibiting symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
He said that the said-Indian was immediately quarantined and taken to the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba.
“The patient’s complaint triggered our COVID-19 preparation and prevention protocols which necessitated further screening and isolation immediately,” Awowole-Browne said in the statement.
The company’s media relations said in the statement that one Mr. Akhil Kunyil, of the Health and Safety Environment unit of the Onshore Company, had reported the development following which local authorities were contacted.
“The suspected COVID-19 patient was immediately moved to the Lagos Mainland Hospital where he was placed in the isolation ward for a confirmatory test, which later turned out to be negative.
“As an organization, we have taken stringent proactive measures across our entire group,” he said.
Awowole-Browne listed the measures to include the development of comprehensive risk identification, control prioritization and escalation plan executed by its COVID-19 Task Force constituted in January.
“Also, the identification and retention of a competent team of medical consultants and travel ban for all employees to/from high-risk countries as per World Health Organisation(WHO) publications of country exposures.
“Travel tracking of all employees and contractors staff arriving and leaving Nigeria and obligations for completion of medical checks to validate health status is compulsory.
“We have also implemented the use of thermal cameras, and hand sanitizers across our various sites as well as infrared thermometers checking in smaller office locations.
“We have identified and created where applicable, holding, isolation and quarantine areas and are engaging in multiple and continuous awareness campaigns on preventative measures,” he said.
He said that the company’s management would continue to update the measures put in place as the situation globally evolves.
“The welfare of our employees and the nation as a whole remains our utmost priority,” Awowole’ Browne said.