Omodele Adigun, Doris Obinna, Usim Uche, Chinelo Obogo and Fred Ezeh

The Federal Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed 10 new cases of the Coronavirus disease in the country.

A statement released by the ministry and signed by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said that three of the new cases were recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja while seven cases were recorded in Lagos State, thus bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 22.

According to the statement, the 10 new cases are Nigerian nationals, adding that nine of them have travel history to countries such as Canada, France, Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom and returned to the country in the past one week, while the 10th case is a close contact of a previous confirmed case.

“The three cases in the FCT are being treated at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada while the seven new cases in Lagos are being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba. All 10 new cases have mild to moderate symptoms and are currently receiving treatment.

“As of March 21, 2020, 22 cases have been confirmed, two discharged and no death recorded from COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Contact tracing is ongoing to identify all persons who have been in contact with the new confirmed cases. The Port Health Services of the FMoH has heightened screening at all air, land and sea ports of entry into Nigeria and adapted protocols to reflect the travel guidance issued by the Presidential Taskforce in the control of the virus,” Ehanire stated.

The statement also stated that the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) supported by the partners will continue to coordinate response activities and strengthen preparedness capacity across states nationwide.

“An intensive national risk communications campaign is ongoing to inform Nigerians about COVID-19. It is important that Nigerians strictly adhere to social distancing and other necessary precautions in place,” it warned.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced that from tomorrow, all the nation’s airports would be shut to incoming international flights.

A statement from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said that all incoming international flights with the exception of emergency and essential flights would be prohibited from landing at all the airports in the country.

This is coming on the heels of the restriction of entry for travellers from 15 countries currently experiencing COVID-19 and restrictions of international flights into only Lagos and Abuja.

The Federal Government had on March 20, announced that Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos would remain open to international flights, but less than 24 hours later it  reversed the decision as it joined both airports in the closure to international traffic apart from emergency and essential flights.

 

A letter emanating from the office of the Director-General of NCAA, Captain Musa S. Nuhu and addressed to all operators with Ref:  NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/106 dated  March 21, 2020  entitled: “Update on clarification on flight restriction into Nigeria due to COVID-19 pandemic to accountable manager/country manager”, read: “Further to our earlier letter on restriction of international flights into Nigeria, we wish to inform you that effective Monday 23rd March at 2300Z to 23rd April at 2300Z, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos (DNMM) and Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja (DNAA) will be closed to all international flights.

“Emergency and essential flights are exempted from this restriction. This is in addition to the closure of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano (DNKN), Akanu lbiam International Airport, Enugu (DNEN) and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa (DNPO) effective Saturday 21 March at 2300Z.

“Henceforth, all airports in Nigeria are closed to all incoming international flights with the exception of emergency and essential flights. Domestic flights will continue normal operations at all airports.

“All airlines are required to submit passenger manifest to Port Health Authorities prior to arrival of flights into Nigeria.”

The decision by the Federal Government to shut all airports to international flights in response to the pandemic has led to increase in the attempts by passengers to reschedule their outbound flights in order to beat the March 23 deadline.

Sunday Sun gathered that the majority of the travellers were billed to travel to the 15 destinations listed in the Federal Government’s travel restriction list.

The chaotic situation resulted in long queues that snaked around the terminal.

It was gathered that a bulk of the foreign airlines are set to suspend flights to the country for about a month.

Lufthansa, a German carrier, in its message to its clients, said that its operations have been suspended from March 23, 2020 until April 19, 2020.

It further disclosed that the last flights from Port Harcourt would operate on March 20 and from Lagos and Abuja on Sunday, March 22 to resume on April 20.

In the meantime, there were fears and pandemonium yesterday in Abuja over three new cases that were confirmed at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, Abuja.

Sources claimed that some patients at UATH where the three cases were recorded hurriedly requested to be discharged while some doctors and other health workers, ostensibly out of fear asked to be excused from duty to avoid being asked to attend to the patients.

Our correspondent who visited the UATH, Abuja, alongside officials of the Association of Resident Doctors, FCT Chapter, and President, Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, observed that renovation work was still ongoing at the provisional isolation centre, while the construction work at the permanent isolation centre was near completion.

It was gathered that efforts by UATH to conceal and prevent the information from spreading beyond the first few ears that heard it to avoid panic failed as virtually all the staff and patients were seen making serious adjustments to avoid contact with the virus.

As the number of confirmed cases in Nigeria hits 22, the Bankers’ Committee arm of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has jacked up its stimulus package to N3.5 trillion just as it listed 10 pharmaceutical firms as beneficiaries of its bailout package.

This was disclosed by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, at the end of a special Bankers Committee meeting yesterday in Lagos.

The pharmaceutical companies are Emzor, Fidson, GSK, May & Baker, Unique Pharma, Swiss Pharma, Nimeth, Sagar, Orange Drugs, and Dana Pharma Plc.

Emefiele lamented that the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted global supply chains of drugs as dominant drug supply channels from China and India, as well as many countries have or are planning to ban export of drugs and medical supplies from their countries.

“Clearly, we have no choice, but to produce these items locally,” he said.

He then announced further measures aimed at boosting export promotion and /or import substitution to position Nigeria as a key global producer and build a self-sufficient economy.

These include the financial system’s implementation and operationalisation of the policy measures announced earlier.