Lagos Sets Date To Close Down Schools Over Coronavirus In Nigeria

Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Folashade Adefisayo has announced the closing down of all public and private schools in the state over coronavirus in Nigeria.

NewsOne Nigeria reports that the Lagos State Commissioner for Information made this known on Wednesday evening, adding that the closure will take effect from Monday, March 23, 2020, in order to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

A statement signed by the Commissioner said the decision of the Lagos State Government to close down schools became imperative in order to prevent children and their teachers from getting more vulnerable to the virus.

The statement reads as thus; “It is important for parents to ensure that their children practise ‘social distancing’ while at home, wash their hands regularly or use hand sanitisers and observe high standards of personal hygiene. Children should be encouraged to remain at home.

“The closure is not intended to create panic but to arrest the spread of the disease, which has become a global threat,” the statement read.

NewsOne Nigeria reports that Lagos state has recorded seven confirmed cases of the deadly disease, including a six-week-old baby which has forced the Babjide Sanwo-Olu-led government to announce the banning of religious gathering that involves over 50 people.

On Wednesday, the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed five new cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, bringing the total number of cases in the country to eight.

Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, during a press conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on the update of the disease in the country, said all the new five cases had a travel history to the from the United Kingdom, UK and the United States of America, USA.

“We urge Nigerians to remain calm as public health response activities are intensified across the country,” the Minister of Health said.