The Federal Ministry of Health has announced five new cases of Coronavirus bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to eight.
All the five new cases had a travel history to the United Kingdom and the United States.
The development is alarming as it comes on the heels of the confirmation of the third Coronavirus case in Nigeria on Tuesday, which spurred the Federal Government from its slumber as it rolled out a number of measures to stop the spread of the disease in the country.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at a press conference in Ikeja on Tuesday morning, said the third case was a 30-year-old woman, who returned to the country on Friday from the United Kingdom.
The announcement of the third Coronavirus case triggered a flurry of activities by the Federal Government which included the postponement of the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival, tagged ‘Edo 2020’, scheduled to start on Friday.
The National Open University of Nigeria also put off its 9th convocation, which was slated from March 21 indefinitely.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, on its part, issued health advisory to religious organizations and other groups that could attract mass gatherings.
NCDC said they should not allow people who had cough, fever or other Coronavirus-like symptoms into their mass gatherings.
In the United Kingdom, the Nigerian High Commission suspended the processing of passports until further notice as a proactive measure to curb Coronavirus.
Similarly, the Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated a task force on Coronavirus, whose members were named on March 9.
Nigeria recorded its first coronavirus case on February 27 when an Italian businessman, who was on a visit to Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State, was diagnosed with the disease. The Italian is currently receiving treatment in Lagos.
A few days later, a Nigerian, who had contact with him and was isolated in Ogun State, was diagnosed with the disease.
Culled from Punch
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