COVID-19: Churches comply with LASG directive restricting religious gathering (Vanguard)
Most Churches in Lagos on Sunday complied with the Lagos State Government restriction order on religious gathering as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the state.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent, who went round parts of the state, reports that while some churches were under lock and key, others had few members attending the Sunday service.
Among the churches visited were St. Michael Catholic Church, Biola, Ketu, Emmanuel Anglican Church, Davis Street, Ketu, Cherubim and Seraphim, Biola Bus-Stop, Ketu.
Also read: Covid-19: Resume in 24 hrs or face mass sack, FCTA warns striking doctors
Others are the Redeemed Christain Church, Eleja, Bus-Stop, Ketu, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Ogunyemi Street, Ketu, and Deeper Life Gospel Church, Giwa Salami Street, Ketu, among others.
At St. Michael Catholic Church, Biola, Ketu, the gate was under lock and key with a notice that there would be no service till further notice. Read more
Coronavirus: Adeboye, Olukoya, others comply with govt directive on gatherings (Punch)
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, held virtual service on Sunday, thereby complying with the orders of state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration banning gatherings of over 50 persons per time.
The PUNCH also reports that Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre also conducted online services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
Dr. Daniel Olukoya of Mountain of Fires and Miracles Ministries also made the list of a few of celebrated preachers in Nigeria whose mega-churches complied with the not-more-than-50-congregants per time directive to prevent community transmission of the novel coronavirus with cases reaching 27 in Nigeria as of the time of filing this report.
Olukoya’s church broadcast a previous sermon via its Social Media channels to its members worldwide. Read more
Coronavirus: Churches record partial compliance over ban in Lagos (DailyTrust)
Churches in some parts of Lagos State on Sunday recorded partial compliance to the ban on gathering of not more than 20 people over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that most churches in Lagos had their normal services while some had adjusted the number of persons and time spent in church. At the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, NNPC, Ejigbo Rd, the masses were adjusted to seven on hourly bases from 6am to 12 pm and 5pm to 6pm as against the four masses from 6am to 1pm and 5pm to 6.30pm. A parishioner, Mrs Agnes Awudi said there were masses but was adjusted hourly because of the Coronavirus directive and ban on number of persons at gatherings. Read more
Coronavirus: Oyedepo, Enenche hold regular Sunday service, despite ban on gatherings (Punch)
The Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota and Dunamis Church International, Abuja held Sunday services, The PUNCH reports.
This is happening despite the orders of the Ogun State Government and the Federal Capital Territory Administration restricting the number of persons in any gathering to 50 to curb the community transmission of the novel coronavirus.
According to statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, as of Sunday, there are 27 cases of the virus in Nigeria, with four in Abuja, 19 in Lagos, two in Ogun and one in Ekiti and Oyo States.
The PUNCH reports that the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Daystar Christian Centre, Mountain of Fires and Miracles Ministries, amongst a few other megachurches complied with the not-more-than-50-congregants per time rule of the FCT Administration and various state governments across the country, with many of these churches conducting online services. Read more
Lagos gives update on closed Alaka/Eko Bridge portion, repair (Vanguard)
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, on Sunday, said that the components for the repair of Alaka Bridge linking Eko Bridge were being assembled.
Hamzat told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, while giving an update on the closed portion of the bridge.
The portion had on March 10 been shut because some bearings on the bridge were said to have gone bad.
Hamzat reiterated that the closure became necessary to save lives because of the state of the bearings. Read more
Lagos begins test running of solar-powered traffic lights (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Government has commenced testing the use of solar energy to power traffic control lights in a bid to tackle perennial traffic congestion in the state. The state’s Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday. He said that the biggest challenge in using traffic control lights across the state was unstable power supply. “They have sensors or what they call controllers. The problem is that the moment there is no power supply and the sensor shuts down, the calibration goes bad. Read more
American, Briton among three new coronavirus cases in Lagos (Guardian)
Lagos State Government Sunday said an American and a Briton were among three new persons who tested positive for coronavirus in the state.
The 51-year-old Briton flew into Nigerian on March 8 aboard via BA75 flight. The American is a 65-year-old individual who arrived in the country six weeks ago.
The Nigerian among the new confirmed cases was on a connecting flight KL0582 London-Amsterdam / KL0587 Amsterdam – Lagos. Read more
Fear in Ogun community over invasion of Fulani herdsmen (Vanguard)
Palpable fear has enveloped residents of Oba Community in Obafemi Owode Local government area of Ogun State following the invasion of the community by some herdsmen.
Findings by Our Correspondent revealed that the herders who were seen along the roads leading to Oba town, the Community that hosts the new Abeokuta Correctional facility and the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, have started erecting structures and clearing bushes around the major roads leading to the town thereby creating fears in the mind of the people.
Some residents of Oba and Alagada who spoke to Vanguard said the presence of the herders was noticed about three weeks ago when they saw tractors clearing some farmlands around Alagada village, about 200 meters to new Abeokuta Correctional Service, and within three days about 20 huts typical of Fulani abodes have started springing up. Read more
Heavy rain causes flood, pulls down trees in Calabar (Guardian)
Heavy downpour has pulled down scores of trees on major highways in Calabar, restricting the free flow of vehicular movement along the affected routes.
The rain which started around 11pm on Saturday night to the early hours of Sunday, also caused flooding in some parts of Calabar metropolis.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Mfon Bassey, who led a team of staff from the Ministry, including the Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA) staff, to evacuate the fallen trees, said that over 20 trees were pulled down by the rain.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fallen trees were planted by the state government to beautify the state capital and to also provide shelter for relaxation. Read more
Coronavirus: Why India’s busiest rail network is being shut down (BBC)
One of the world’s busiest urban rail systems will be shut down for ordinary commuters from Monday morning to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in Mumbai, one of India’s most populous cities. Only government workers in “essential services” will be allowed to travel on a truncated service.
This was waiting to happen.
Consider this. Eight million people take Mumbai’s crowded suburban train network every day. Packed to nearly three times its capacity, this is one of the busiest railway systems in the world.
The 459km (285-mile) network is the lifeline of India’s financial and entertainment capital, accounting for nearly 80% of all commuting trips in the populous western city. The suburban trains “cover almost the distance up to [the] moon in one week,” the network’s website says. Read more
Coronation Street filming shut down amid coronavirus crisis (Metro)
Filming on Coronation Street has been forced to shut down amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has become a global crisis.
With the popular soap being a heavily populated workplace, it has been confirmed that filming for future episodes has now been suspended as bosses put the welfare of staff and production teams at the forefront of their priorities.
It comes after set tours to both Coronation Street and Emmerdale were closed to the public.
A spokesperson for ITV explained: ‘ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday 23 March. Read more
Earthquake rocks Croatia’s capital Zagreb (BBC)
An earthquake has rocked Croatia’s capital Zagreb, damaging buildings and leaving cars crushed by falling chunks of masonry.
A teenager is in a critical condition after a roof collapsed, local media say. The spire of the city’s cathedral also snapped off.
After Sunday’s tremor, Zagreb’s mayor urged people to return to their homes given fears about the coronavirus.
The 5.3-magnitude quake is the largest to affect the city in 140 years.
Panicked residents ran out into the streets when it struck around 06:00 local time and were initially told to stay out by authorities. Read more
First French hospital doctor dies of coronavirus (Vanguard)
The first French hospital doctor has died of coronavirus, authorities said Sunday.
The 67-year-old emergency room medic worked at Compiegne hospital, north of Paris, the town mayor told AFP.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said that as far as he knew the man — who died Saturday — was the “first hospital doctor to be hit”.
Mayor Philippe Marini said the victim “would soon have been 68” and had treated some of the first cases in the Oise department, the first area in France to be badly hit by COVID-19. Read more
Army patrols as Moroccans defy virus measures for prayers (Guardian)
Military vehicles patrol the streets in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on March 22, 2020, to help enforce the government’s order for people to stay at home amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. AFP
Groups of Moroccans went out to pray and to protest in the streets at the weekend, defying orders to stay at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Images shared on social networks and broadcast by local media showed people chanting “God is greatest and only he can help us,” in cities of Tangiers, Fez and Tetouan.
Some spoke of the virus as a “divine test”.
Mosques in Morocco are closed and religious authorities have told the faithful to pray at home. Read more
Ghana confirms first Coronavirus death, shuts border (Vanguard)
A 61-year-old coronavirus victim has died in Ghana.
The victim, a Lebanese male trader, died in a health facility in Kumasi, where he had been receiving treatment for the disease.
He exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 and his sample tested positive for the disease after he was screened at the health facility, GhanaWeb reports.
Ghana has 21 confirmed cases of Coronavirus as of Saturday.
The Ghanaian Deputy Health Minister, Alex Abban, confirmed man’s death to journalists in Accra, the country’s capital. Read more
US Vice President and wife test negative for coronavirus (Guardian)
US Vice President Pence Mike Pence and his wife have tested negative for coronavirus, his press office said Saturday.
“Pleased to report that the COVID-19 test results came back negative for both Vice President @Mike_Pence and Second Lady @KarenPence,” the vice president’s press secretary Katie Miller tweeted.
Earlier Pence had confirmed he would be tested for the virus after one of his office staffers contracted the illness. Read more
Coronavirus: Plateau United ‘quarantine’ players (Vanguard)
Plateau United of Jos have urged their players to keep indoors and avoid unnecessary travels as a way of stemming any positive test to coronavirus.
This is coming on the background of the club taking a one week break following the suspension of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by the League Management Company (LMC) over the ravaging scourge of Coronavirus that has assumed a global pandemic.
LMC had last Wednesday, March 18, suspended all matches in the ongoing NPFL over the spread of Coronavirus in the country. Read more
Fellaini is first coronavirus case in Chinese Super League (Guardian)
Marouane Fellaini has tested positive for the coronavirus, his club Shandong Luneng said Sunday, the former Manchester United player becoming the first known case in the Chinese Super League (CSL).
The 32-year-old Belgian international midfielder has a normal temperature and is feeling fine, Shandong said, but “is under observation and having treatment at a designated medical facility”.
“The club will do its best… to help in the treatment and recovery of the player.”
Fellaini, who had just returned to China, is the latest high-profile name in football to catch the disease, along with Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Read more
NSF: Ajunwa wants foreign-based, elite athletes barred (Vanguard)
Nigeria’s only individual gold medalist in Olympics athletics, Chioma Ajunwa is of the opinion that allowing foreign-based athletes and elite athletes to participate in the National Sports Festival is a set back to grassroots sports development in Nigeria.
Ajunwa who won a long jump gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and setting an African record, a 7.12m distance which remains unbroken, argued that the NSF is meant to be a grooming ground for up and coming athletes.
“What confuses me here is that NSF has now become a competition where all our international athletes are coming to take part. Read more
Fitness, focus, frustration: life in lockdown for Europe’s footballers (Guardian)
Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira is learning to play the piano, La Liga clubs are facing off on playstation and Atalanta’s Robin Gosens has been revising for exams in psychology.
Yet as thousands of footballers, from the highest levels to the lower leagues, remain on lockdown while coronavirus spreads across Europe, all of them are tasked with keeping themselves fit, as well as entertained.
“Everyone needs to be ready so that when the health advice says resume, we can resume straight away,” Emmanuel Orhant, medical director of the French Football Federation (FFF), told AFP. Read more
Coronavirus: FIFA U-17 girls stranded in Cameroon (Vanguard)
People around the world have had a challenging week as cities and even whole countries go into lockdown with efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
But perhaps few have had a week quite as tough as Sao Tome and Principe’s under-17 side. After losing 10-0 on aggregate to Cameroon in a qualifier for the Fifa U-17 women’s World Cup, the team have been stuck in Yaounde as successive countries closed their borders just as the flights they were meant to take home were scheduled to leave.
Their original return flight, the day after the heavy loss, was for Sunday, via the Equatorial Guinea capital, Malabo. Read more
Covid claims financial victim as Anderlecht fire coach (Guardian)
Belgian giant Anderlecht have fired assistant coach Par Zetterberg to save money as the coronavirus football lockdown starts to bite.
The Brussels club say they fired the 49-year-old Swede due to major revenue losses since the championship was suspended because of coronavirus.
“Professional football, as with many other economic endeavours, is faced with major challenges by COVID-19,” Anderlecht told local media. Read more
Pitch Awards: Ighalo to battle Osimhen, Chukwueze for top honour (DailyTrust)
Former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo is in a running battle against Lille’s Victor Osimhen and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze for the Striker of the Year ahead of the 7th edition of Nigeria Pitch Awards. Three nominees each in the 16 categories of the Awards were announced at a press conference held at Ibis Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos on Friday. Ighalo and Victor Osimhen made it a double as both players were nominated in the King of the Pitch category alongside Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City of England. For the Midfielder of the Year, Oghenekaro Etebo, Ndidi and Joe Aribo will compete for the award while Kenneth Omeruo, Williams Troost-Ekong and Chidozie Awaziem will vie for the Defender of the Year award. Read more