Nigeria’s health authorities on Friday confirmed at least 181 students and staff at a private boarding school in Lagos have tested positive for coronavirus, reported Reuters.
The government had reopened schools on Oct. 12 with strict coronavirus prevention guidelines, six months after they were closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the country, following a steady decline in the rate of infections in Nigeria. The number of new daily infections, which peaked at an average of 700 in July and August, have come down to 200.
The detection of the cases followed surveillance and case investigation in the school located in Lekki, a city in Lagos, said Akin Abayomi, the state’s commissioner for health. There are a total of 441 students and staff in the school.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Abayomi said that the cases came to light after a 14-year-old girl fell sick on Oct. 3. She tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 6, prompting Nigeria’s health authorities to launch an investigation.
“Positive students and staff have been isolated on the premises … and are being monitored in isolation within the school premises,” Abayomi said.
Abayomi said the infected students and school staff are, however, predominantly asymptomatic.
“Some have very mild symptoms. No student has required hospitalization,” the health official said.
He said authorities had taken steps to contain the spread of the virus, and were discouraging any students from going home as they might infect family members. Families of the infected have already been contacted, the official said, adding the situation was under control.
Nigeria has confirmed a total of 60,982 cases of COVID-19 and 1,116 deaths linked to the disease. The government has made wearing face masks mandatory and advised citizens to maintain social distancing and continue to wash their hands regularly and use hand sanitizer as needed.
