As Nigeria's Coronavirus Cases increase by 83% in a Single Week, FG Orders Closure of All International Flight Operations

Effective Monday, 23rd March, 2020, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will remain shut to international flight operations. This is according to a statement signed by the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu.

This comes as the nation's Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire announced that 10 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Lagos (7) and FCT (3) today. "That is a total of 22 cases in #Nigeria: Lagos 16, FCT 3, Ekiti 1 & Ogun 2."

Before now, a total of 12 cases had been reported and confirmed by the Ministry of Health. These 10 new cases reflect an 83% increase in Nigeria's total number of cases within a period of one (1) week.

According to Ehanire's statement, "All ten (10) new cases are Nigerian nationals; nine (9) of them have travel history to Canada, The Netherlands, France, Spain and United Kingdom. They returned to the country in the last one (1) week; the 10th case is a close contact of a previously confirmed case."

He added, "Contact tracing is ongoing to identify all persons who have been in contact with the new confirmed cases".

Meanwhile, according to the statement by the NCAA boss, Musa Nuhu, although all the nation's international airports will now be closed to international flight operations, emergency and essential flights are exempted from this directive.

However, domestic flights will continue normal operations at all airports.

While there are now 22 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, the Health Ministry has announced 2 recoveries, adding that the patients have been discharged also. There have been no reported deaths from the novel disease in the country.

The latest directive from the NCAA on the closure of all international flights may not be unconnected to the fact that almost all reported cases of the novel disease in Nigeria have been from people who came in from outside the country.

It is important that everyone takes seriously the prescribed precautionary measures, including social distancing, regular washing of hands, hand/respiratory hygiene (including the use of rubber or clinical hand gloves, and the use of nose masks), etc, in the interest of personal and public health.

Above all, let us all support government in all her efforts to curb the spread of the disease, by obeying all government policies issued to this end.



Chukwubuikem Paul Anunaso is a civil/structural engineer. He is the editor of The Paul Anunaso Blog, and can be reached on anunaso.cp@gmail.com