Coronavirus: Sanwo-Olu orders closure of all markets, stores in Lagos (DailyTrust)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the closure of all markets and stores in the state except markets that sell food, water, medicines, medical equipment and other essential life-saving items from Thursday, March 26, 2020. He said the closure would last for seven days at the first instance. He disclosed this on Tuesday after the State Security Meeting held at the Marina House in Lagos. Read more
Lagos court remands nine suspected cultists (Punch)
The police, on Monday, arraigned nine suspected cultists before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ikeja.
The defendants, Ayoola Quam, Oluwafemi Kolawole, Peter Adebayo, Oladunni Abiodun, Quadri Opoola, Suleiman Akarakiri, Oyenuga Gafaru, Mufutau Mustapha and Busayo Akintan, were arraigned on two counts of disorderly conduct posing a threat to society and unlawful assembly.
The offences were said to be contrary to sections 44 and 42 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the defendants were members of the Eiye and Aiye confraternities and were alleged to be disturbing the Ikorodu area of the state and its environs.
It was gathered that the defendants had on March 10, 2020, at the Solebo Estate in Ikorodu went on rampage and were reportedly in search of one Femi, also known as FM, with a view to killing him. Read more
It’s business as usual at Lagos parks, garages after government’s directive to transport operators (Guardian)
The Lagos State Government yesterday issued public transport guidelines to operators and passengers to curb further spread of the coronavirus in buses, cabs, motor parks, and garages. The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, said in a statement that the measures were part of government’s efforts to further prevent a state-widespread of COVID-19.
According to him, henceforth it is compulsory for all transport operators/companies to sanitise their parks and garages regularly and continuously at least before and after each trip.
Oladeinde said: “All transport operators are expected to have at the entrance to their respective parks/garages, washing hand equipment with soaps and running water.
“All operators are expected to have alcohol-based sanitizers in their vehicles for the use of drivers, conductors, and passengers. All operators are not allowed to overcrowd/overload their vehicles at this point, passenger’s spacing must be fully observed because NCDC recommends that at least 2m (5ft) distance is required between anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness,’’ he said. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos shuts event centres, clubs for flouting order (Punch)
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that it had closed some event centres and clubs for flouting the order of the state government banning the gathering of more than 20 persons.
The facilities locked up include the Regency Hall, Imperial Hall, Matinos Hall and Suites, Famcity Club, Lekki Xhale and Shisha Lounge.
The General Manager, LASEPA, Dolapo Fasawe, said the agency received over 70 calls from concerned residents of the state to report their neighbours, who organised social gatherings with over 200 participants.
Fasawe, who also stated that the agency received reports of schools advising their pupils to come in mufti to finish their examinations, said the agency would go after any schools found to be flouting the ban order. Read more
Suspected cult leader, Sangalo, in police net over murder (DailyTrust) Detectives attached to the Ikorodu police station, Lagos, have arrested a suspected leader of the dreaded Aiye cult gang, Segun Ariyo. The police said that Ariyo, alias Sangalo, was one of the “vicious gang leaders” they had declared wanted for their alleged involvement in series of murder in Ikorodu and its environs. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, who confirmed the arrest yesterday, said that the detectives, with the support of community policing volunteers, raided some black spots in the Ikorodu area at about 4pm on Saturday after weeks of covert surveillance and arrested the 27-year-old suspect. Read more
COVID-19: Medical doctors in Anambra suspend indefinite strike (Guardian)
Medical doctors in Anambra, under the aegis of Conference of Civil Service Doctors (NAGGDMP), have suspended their indefinite strike following the outbreak of COVID-19 in some parts of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the doctors had on March 1, embarked on strike over the state government’s alleged failure to implement a medical salary structure for all doctors in government service.
The group had also claimed that they were the least paid doctors in the country and had become a laughing stock among the community of doctors. Read more
Coronavirus: Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Kyari, tests positive (Punch)
The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
A top source at the Federal Ministry of Health told The PUNCH on Tuesday that Kyari, who recently returned from Germany, had tested positive.
The source, however, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had tested negative but the President would be tested again in a few days.
However, the State House has yet to comment on either Buhari or Kyari’s coronavirus status.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, failed to respond to enquiries on the matter by The PUNCH. Read more
Coronavirus: Presidency silent over Abba Kyari’s health (Guardian)
Despite trending reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has tested negative to Covid-19 following a test allegedly conducted by officials of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the Presidency has continued to keep sealed lips.
The test became necessary after his Chief of Staff, Malam Abba Kyari, reportedly tested positive to the coronavirus.
Kyari, who was sighted after Jum’aat prayers on Friday, was not seen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. His official vehicle was also not sighted at the officially allocated position at the car park in the Admin wing of the State House. Read more
FG orders international airports closed for 4 weeks, but exemptions exist (DailyTrust)
A former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika All International airports in Nigeria have finally shut down 12:00 a.m Tuesday for four weeks as directed by the Federal Government as a measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has however listed exemptions which include flights for humanitarian delivery, medical, technical and safety reasons. This was approved by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika. The Minister confirmed in a statement on his Twitter handle (@hadisirika), saying, “All Int’l Airports remain closed for 4 weeks as said, except for Aircraft in distress and overflights.” Read more
Estonia rolls out hacker innovations in virus fight (Guardian)
Estonia has begun piloting tech innovations designed to help handle the coronavirus crisis after the government asked hackers to join the fight against the pandemic.
The government is rolling out a chatbot — a programme that answers questions with web users in real-time — across its websites this week to answer questions about the virus, Marten Kaevats, Estonia’s national digital advisor, told AFP.
“Right now, Suve chatbot can answer about 200 questions, but I hope that by the end of the week it will reach 900 to 1,000,” Kaevets said, adding the goal is for the bot to deal with up to 85 percent of queries to “alleviate the pressure on information hotlines”. Read more
This magic cake that doesn’t use any milk, eggs or butter is perfect for self-isolation (Metro)
With supermarket shelves empty, you might be struggling to come up with things you can make.
And it’s been a hard week so maybe we all deserve a treat.
Enter the magic cake – made without milk, eggs or butter.
Yes, you can make this delight from dry ingredients you might have at the back of the cupboard, mixed with some water. Read more
Coronavirus: India to enter ‘total lockdown’ after spike in cases (BBC)
India is to impose a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced.
The restrictions will apply from midnight local time (18:30 GMT) and will be enforced for 21 days.
“There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Mr Modi said in a televised address.
India – which has a population of 1.3bn – joins a growing list of countries that have imposed similar measures. Read more
German army loses 6 million masks in Kenya (Guardian)
A German army shipment of six million face masks needed to protect against the novel coronavirus has vanished in Kenya, the defence ministry in Berlin confirmed Tuesday.
“We are trying to find out what happened” to the massive order of protective equipment meeting the FFP2 standard for protection against particles and aerosols, a spokeswoman said.
News weekly Der Spiegel had earlier reported that the masks went missing at a Kenyan airport at the end of last week. Read more
Coronavirus: Wuhan to ease lockdown as world battles pandemic (BBC)
The lockdown in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the global coronavirus outbreak began, will be partially lifted on 8 April, officials say.
Travel restrictions in the rest of Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, will be lifted from midnight on Tuesday – for residents who are healthy.
A single new case of the virus was reported in Wuhan on Tuesday following almost a week of no reported new cases.
Countries around the world have gone into lockdown or imposed severe curbs. Read more
Coronavirus in NY: Eerie drone footage shows desolate streets (NYPost)
Eerie drone footage of the city over the weekend shows it has become a shell of its former bustling, thriving self — with avenues and sidewalks deserted and barely a human to be seen.
The video rolls first through Manhattan, heading downtown, to reveal the surreal scene, which includes only the occasional car on the roadway and no more than a single couple per block. Read more
Lady Gaga delays new album release amid coronavirus pandemic (PageSix)
Lady Gaga is postponing the release of her upcoming sixth studio album “Chromatica” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I wanted to tell you, that after a lot of deliberation, I’ve made the incredibly tough decision to postpone the release of Chromatica,” she wrote on Instagram Tuesday. “I will announce a new 2020 release date soon.”
The 33-year-old singer explained that while art is something that can help in a time like this, she doesn’t feel right about releasing her album as the virus continues to spread. Read more
Man United to hand Ighalo £15m permanent deal after dream start (Vanguard)
Manchester United will hand Odion Ighalo a permanent deal of £15million this summer after it emerged the Nigerian striker’s loan runs out on May 31.
Ighalo’s temporary move from Shanghai Shenhua, according to Sportsmail, is set to end a month earlier than most loan deals.
United may have to negotiate an extension with the Chinese club if the Premier League season — on hold until the end of April —continues into June, although world players’ union FIFPro is working on a solution to the contract uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Either way, there is already a willingness at Old Trafford to sign Ighalo permanently after the former Watford striker scored four goals in his first eight matches. Read more
Kane hopes to feature if Premier League returns after virus chaos (Guardian)
Harry Kane says he is on track to be fit when the Premier League returns as the Tottenham striker urged people to “stay safe” from the coronavirus.
Kane has been sidelined since suffering a torn hamstring tendon in Tottenham’s New Year’s Day defeat at Southampton.
The England captain needed surgery on the injury in January and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho did not expect him back until the last games of the season. Read more
Sports ministry shuts down Lagos National Stadium (Punch)
The National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos was on Monday shut down following the coronavirus outbreak.
Bode Durotoye, the Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the directive was from Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development.
Durotoye said the facility would be re-opened to the public when the situation improves.
“I got the directive from the minister this morning (Monday) that we should shut down the National Stadium in Lagos temporarily in line with the Federal Government’s directive that all social gatherings should be suspended for now,” he said. Read more
Tokyo 2020: Olympic and Paralympic Games postponed because of coronavirus (BBC)
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed until next year because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
The event, due to begin on 24 July, will now take place “no later than summer 2021”.
“I proposed to postpone for a year and [IOC] president Thomas Bach responded with 100% agreement,” said Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister.
The event will still be called Tokyo 2020 despite taking place in 2021. Read more
What could an Olympics postponement cost Japan? (Vanguard)
The historic decision to postpone this year’s Olympic Games over the coronavirus pandemic is likely to pile on the pain for Japan’s economy, already expected to be roiled by the global virus outbreak, economists say.
What has the Games cost Japan?
At the end of 2019, organisers estimated the total cost of the Games at around 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion).
That is divided between the city of Tokyo, which is paying 597 billion yen, the Japanese organising committee, which contributes 603 billion yen and the central government, which is paying 150 billion yen. Read more
Bayern Munich, other Bundesliga clupostponement cut (Guardian)
Footballers at Germany’s top teams including Bayern Munich have agreed to take pay cuts to help other clubs survive the economic impact of the coronavirus, media reports said Tuesday.
Newspaper Bild reports that players and club officials at champions Bayern, top of the Bundesliga when the Bundesliga season was halted on March 13, have accepted a 20 percent cut in their salaries.
Like all top European leagues the German top flight is losing income from broadcasting, sponsorships and ticket sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, with matches in Germany suspended until at least April 2. Read more
La Liga suspended indefinitely over coronavirus (Punch)
All football in Spain, including La Liga, has been put on hold indefinitely while the country deals with the continued spread of coronavirus.
Spain’s top flight was postponed for two rounds of matches earlier in March and the country is in a state of emergency.
Football will not resume until the Spanish government deems it safe to do so without any health risk.
As it stands, defending champions Barcelona lead La Liga by two points.
The statement, from the monitoring commission established by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and La Liga, added, “Both the RFEF and La Liga wish to express our greatest public gratitude to all those who are dedicating their best efforts to provide essential services to the Spanish people, and also share our condolences for all the deceased and a warm embrace from the world of soccer to the many families that are losing loved ones.” Read more