COVID-19: Minister Advocates Increased Testing

* Takes Test at Mangu NYSC Orientation Camp

Amid the recent rise in cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has taken the campaign for increased testing to the Mangu Permanent Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Plateau State.

After reviewing the COVID-19 control protocols with camp officials, the minister took the test at the station where arriving corps members are being screened.

Dare called for the strengthening and expansion of the testing capacity at the NYSC orientation camp, calling for the people to strictly observe the preventive measures put in place to slow down the spread of the virus.

According to him, “I want to make sure that the testing station is properly set up and working the way it should. The same should go for all our orientation camps across the country.

“There is a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic being reported, and testing is one of the measures to curtail the spread. Even if someone tests positive, it will only help ensure the person gets timely medical attention.

“Therefore, I urge corps members and Nigerians in general to take the test, especially when showing symptoms or being in areas where there are high incidences of the virus.”

Meanwhile, Dare has urged corps members across the country to sign up for the initiatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development that are aimed at investing in Nigerian youths.

While addressing the corps members at Mangu Orientation Camp, the minister stressed that programmes like the N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) had already been rolled out alongside the training opportunities provided under the DEEL initiative.