The 30 staff members infected with COVID-19 have been traced to iSON Xperiences in Ibadan
A multinational customer experience provider, iSON Xperiences has confirmed that the 30 COVID-19 cases reported in Oyo state over the weekend were recorded at one of its centres in Ibadan.
The agency which offers customer experience services to two of the largest telcos in the country said this in response to the statement issued by the governor of the state, Seyi Makinde on Saturday, May 16. Makinde had revealed that 30 staff members of an undisclosed company in Ibadan South West Local Government Area of the state were among the newly reported 31 cases of COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 confirmation tests for thirty-one 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,” he wrote on Twitter.
“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,” he added.
As speculations became rife on the identity of the said company, iSON Xperiences stepped forward with a statement on Monday where it admitted that some of its employees had been detected with COVID-19.
“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,” the statement read.
It also noted that it had earlier “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 iSON Xperience staff was required to be at work during the lockdown to respond to customers’ calls on behalf of their telco clients.
“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 statement added.
Although iSON did not disclose how many staff members were affected by the disease, it thanked the Oyo state government and the NCDC as well as their clients for their support in handling the situation.
“May we all be safe,” it concluded.
