Lagos returns to normalcy with gridlock, market reopening (Guardian)
Wednesday was Day Three into the gradual ease of the lockdown announced by President Muhammadu Buhari, but the gridlock encountered in all arteries of Lagos State was a return to the normal Lagos.
All major routes, Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Gbagada-Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Third Mainland Bridge, Lekki Ajah expressway, Ojodu to Berger, Lagos-Badagry expressway and other inner-city routes were locked down for many hours.
Motorists from Sango Ota and Iyana Ipaja moving towards Oshodi spent hours to get to Oshodi. Even attempts to ply alternative routes were unsuccessful as the inner-city roads were also locked down. Read more
Lagos police arraign 325 curfew violators (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Police Command yesterday said it has arraigned 325 persons in court for violating the 8pm to 6am curfew in the state. Government had on Sunday declared the curfew as a way of gradual easing the lockdown meant to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, told Daily Trust that the 121 persons were arrested on Monday, May 4, 2020 by officers attached to the enforcement team led by the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu.Read more
Nigerians demand justice for innocent man remanded for six years (Punch)
Some Nigerians, on Wednesday, demanded justice for a former inmate of the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos, Idris Saula, saying all those who had hands in his unjust incarceration for six years must be brought to justice.
They also called for investigation into the cases of other inmates, who might be suffering for crimes they did not commit.
PUNCH Metro had reported that the 36-year-old Saula was arrested in 2014 during a raid, while he was working at a construction site at Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos. Read more
PTF gets ICPC guidelines on COVID-19 relief funds (Nation)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has issued guidelines to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on how to manage the funds allocated to the committee.
The Commission has also banned cash payment for services or procurements, except petty cash advances by the Task Force.
It restricted the committee to only trackable payments and recommended monthly reconciliation of its accounts and books. Read more
Serving Army Major, 40, appointed Emir of Kaura-Namoda (DailyTrust)
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has approved the appointment of Major Sanusi Muhammad as the new Emir of Kaura-Namoda. A statement yesterday by Zailani Bappa, media aide to the governor, said that the appointment followed a recommendation by the area’s traditional council. It said that the 40-year-old new Monarch, who would succeed his father, Alhaji Muhammad Asha, who died last week, is a serving Major in the Nigerian Army. Read more
256 Nigerians return from UAE (Nation)
A Nigerian lady, Mrs Kafayat Amusan, who was among stranded Nigerians in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was delivered of a baby boy aboard Emirates Airline en route Lagos.
The new baby’s arrival delayed the journey of 256 Nigerians evacuated from the Arab country.
Port Health sources at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, said Mrs Amusa went into labour after the aircraft took off from the Dubai International Airport. Read more
COVID-19: Police commence curfew enforcement in FCT (DailyTrust)
The FCT police command has commenced the enforcement of curfew in the territory between 8: pm and 6:am daily, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. A statement by the command’s spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manza, said the enforcement of the curfew was as a result of the presidential directive imposing overnight curfew in the territory. He said the curfew implied that movement of persons will not be allowed within the stipulated time, even as he said essential service providers, especially medical personnel, who may be on duty at such hours, will be considered. Read more
80% of infected persons don’t require hospital admission (Nation)
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has advised against keeping asymptomatic patients of COVID-19 in isolation centres.
National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, gave the advice on Wednesday in Abuja. He said such persons, who constitute about 80 per cent of those infected were better treated in more comfortable places like hotels.
Aliyu charged states to start preparing and equipping isolation centres with not less than 300 beds. Read more
Poland’s presidential poll postponed over coronavirus (BBC)
Poland governing coalition parties have agreed to postpone this Sunday’s presidential election because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party had wanted the vote to go ahead to get Andrzej Duda, 47, re-elected.
But junior coalition partner Agreement and the opposition said PiS was putting political gain ahead of public health.
The election will now be rescheduled to a date “as soon as possible” and it will be a postal-only ballot. Read more
Ontario to reopen some retail stores within days, moving with ‘cautious optimism’ amid COVID-19 (CBC)
Ontario will begin collecting race and socio-economic data during COVID-19 testing on a voluntary basis.
The province has entered its fourth day of downward-trending new daily case counts, according to top doctor Dr. David Williams.
Ontario fell short of its testing target for the third straight day.
There is currently ‘no plan’ to retest Ontarians who had signs of pneumonia in December to determine if they may in fact have had COVID-19, Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe says. Read more
Under COVID-19 Pandemic, Global Remittances Expected to Decline 20% (VOA)
Stay-at-home quarantines and the temporary shutdown of some banks and establishments that provide money transfers are hindering how immigrants can send money back to their home countries, according to a special report by the World Bank.
As a result, global remittances are projected to plunge by 20% in 2020.
The report said the COVID-19 pandemic has impaired migrants’ income, which affects remittance flows.
World Bank Group President David Malpass said in a statement that remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries. Read more
France records 278 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, hospitalisations continue to fall (France24)
France on Wednesday recorded 278 deaths in 24 hours, down from 330 the previous day, taking the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 to 25,809.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in ICUs across France reached 3,147 on Wednesday, 283 less than the day before, according to French health officials.
Hospitalisations also fell, continuing a now uninterrupted three-week fall.
Lockdown easing starts May 11
France is set to begin easing its lockdown on May 11, when people will be allowed to move up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) around their residence without a justification form. Movement beyond 100 kms will still need a justification form. Read more
Brits ‘to have unlimited exercise from Monday as Stay at Home slogan is dropped’ (Metro)
Brits could soon be allowed ‘unlimited exercise’ from Monday as Boris Johnson prepares to ease some social-distancing measures. The Prime Minister is due to announce his plan for exiting lockdown on Sunday, after nearly seven weeks of the public being told to stay at home. Health officials have reportedly already ordered their teams to remove the tagline ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ from websites and social media, starting Saturday night. Allowing members of the public ‘unlimited exercise’ will be implemented from Monday as a reward for the nation staying inside since March 23, The Sun reports. The publication also claims picnics outdoors could be given the green light, and some businesses will be allowed to reopen. Read more
Coronavirus survey reveals ‘shocking’ stats about hospitalised New Yorkers (NYPost)
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Two-thirds of New Yorkers hospitalized with the coronavirus were admitted from their homes, a “shocking” statistic that defies social-distancing logic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
The curious conclusion was reached in a three-day survey of patients hospitalized with the bug conducted this week, and revealed by Cuomo during his daily press briefing.
“Sixty-six percent of the people were at home, which is shocking to us,” said Cuomo.
The same survey found that 46 percent were unemployed, and 37 percent retired. Read more
Athletes grumble over exclusion from ministry’s N50,000 palliative (Punch)
Top Nigerian athletes have expressed their disappointment over their non-inclusion in the COVID-19 palliative by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, The PUNCH reports.
Several athletes, who spoke to The PUNCH, questioned the rationale behind the disbursement of the relief funds.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, had directed the payment of N50,000 into the accounts of Nigerian athletes to provide relief in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Algeria’s football star to be tried for masturbating in public (DailyTrust)
Algeria international Farid El Melali will be tried for indecent exposure after allegedly masturbating in public, AFP learned on Tuesday on the Angers winger’s 23rd birthday.
El Melali was questioned by police in Angers late on Monday after his neighbours claimed they caught him exposing himself in front of a building where a woman was staying. The forward admitted to police to having an “inappropriate attitude”, according to his lawyer Sandra Chirac-Kollarik, and thought he was alone in the courtyard of the building. Read more
COVID-19: Spain to end women’s football season (Nation)
Spain’s women’s football season is on the verge of being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with champions in each tier being declared based on the standings before the campaign was halted, the country’s football federation (RFEF) has said.
Relegation will be scrapped this term as a result of the decision, which must be ratified by the RFEF executive committee on Friday, the governing body added in a statement on Wednesday. Read more
‘No chance’ of Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder going behind closed doors, says Frank Warren (BBC)
Boxing must “avoid being left behind” amid the coronavirus pandemic but there is “no chance” of bouts like Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder going behind closed doors, promoter Frank Warren says.
Warren was speaking after details emerged of the British Boxing Board of Control’s plans for a July return.
The 68-year-old added that the first UK fights to get the go-ahead are likely to be “British-title level”. Read more
Project Restart: TV broadcasters draw up epic football schedule with almost 200 games to be shown live (Metro)
Almost all of the remainder of the Premier League and Championship season will be televised, according to reports. Football chiefs are pushing to receive the green light from the British government to resume action behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandmeic. Boris Johnson has said lockdown measures will be relaxed in the near future and there are 200 games still left to play in the 2019/20 Championship and top flight seasons. The Times claim Sky Sports and BT Sport plan to broadcast almost every game possible, with three matches a day at different kick-offs. Read more
MLB to present players with proposal in major step to start season (NYPost)
By the beginning of next week at the latest — perhaps even before this week is concluded — MLB is planning to present to the Players Association a proposal that will include what is currently the most optimistic hope: What would a season look like if spring training 2.0 began in June and the regular season in July?
The sides are doing this now just in case the rosiest scenario plays out and — among many current hurdles — health officials open up enough locales to allow the renewal of spring training in 6-8 weeks. Read more