FG Suspends Airline for Flying Naira Marley + More COVID-19 Updates

Confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria rise to 16,658 with 573 new cases

According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), 216 cases were recorded in Lagos, 103 in Rivers, 68 in Oyo, 40 in Edo, 21 in Kano, 20 in Gombe, 17 in FCT, 13 in Delta, 12 in Plateau, 12 in Bauchi, 10 in Niger, 9 in Kebbi, 8 in Ogun, 8 in Ondo, 7 in Abia, 5 in Nasarawa, 1 in Borno, 1 in Kwara, 1 in Benue and 1 in Anambra State. 5349 patients have been discharged with 424 deaths.

A breakdown of cases by state can be found via https://t.co/zQrpNeOfet#TakeResponsibility pic.twitter.com/LARqz04zgu

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) June 15, 2020

Over 240,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent

There are now over 240,00 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent according to information shared to the WHO African Region Twitter account yesterday. There have been over 109,900 recoveries and 6,400 deaths have been recorded.

Over 240,000 confirmed #COVID19 cases on the African continent – with more than 109,900 recoveries & 6,400 deaths. View country figures & more with the WHO African Region COVID-19 Dashboard: https://t.co/V0fkK8dYTg pic.twitter.com/6pFOz99yrv

— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) June 15, 2020

FG Suspends Airline for Flying Naira Marley, Naira Marley and Pilot to Face Sanctions

The Federal Government has suspended a charter and aircraft maintenance firm, Executive Jet Services, for flying musician, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, to Abuja to attend a concert.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said this during the Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja on Monday.

According to The Punch, Sirika said the aircraft which conveyed the musician was supposed to fly an Appeal Court Judge, Justice Adefope Okogie, from Lagos to Abuja.

He said,

“The operation is a clear violation of our approval which we take very seriously. It seems this is becoming a norm. This is the second time. So, Executive Jet Services is hereby suspended indefinitely and they will face the law. The captain will also be sanctioned for giving wrong information to the control tower. It seems also that people are not tired of trying our resolve and we are not tired of living up to our responsibilities. Governance is a serious matter.”

The minister said the government would henceforth be stricter in granting approvals for private flights.

Naira Marley may face severe sanctions from the Federal Capital Territory Administration for holding a concert in Abuja on Saturday in violation of the COVID-19 guidelines.

The coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, said the FCT authorities would take a decision on the matter.

He said,

“With regards to the fate of Naira Marley, I believe that the FCT authorities have already taken action with regards to the key organisers of the show. The decision in terms of whether or not he (Naira Marley) will face penalties is actually a decision for the FCT authorities. The PTF will certainly support any measures taken against people, who continue to violate the implementation of the guidelines that we have clearly enumerated, particularly if they continue to put public health at risk.”

FG receives N1.6bn COVID-19 donations

The Federal Government on Monday announced that a total of N1,689,757,489.87 was received as COVID-19 donations from April 1 to May 31, 2020.

It said the funds were received through designated commercial bank accounts and the Central Bank of Nigeria/Treasury Single Account.

It disclosed this in a public notice on the details of the donations received through Deposit Money Banks and CBN/TSA signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, The Punch reports.

“More COVID-19 Cases out there than we’ve found” – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has warned that there are more coronavirus cases in the country than reported.

According to The Punch, The Director-General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said this on Monday during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja.

He said,

“We have to make it socially unacceptable to be seen outside the home without face masks. We must also discourage one another from mass gatherings that are not necessary. That a church or mosque decides to open doesn’t make it compulsory for you to attend. Attendance is still a personal responsibility. Even when airlines reopen, we all have to think hard: How important is that trip? The health of each of us depends on the actions each of us will take over the next few months.”

“Some people are giving fictitious names during COVID-19 testing. There’s no reason whatsoever to doubt the reality of COVID-19 in Nigeria. In fact, we believe there are more cases out there than we’ve found. Behind each of those numbers we announce daily are people. Four Governors have themselves announced they’ve been infected.”

India Records more than 10,600 new cases

India recorded 10,667 new coronavirus cases and 380 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to CNN, the number of confirmed cases in the country stands at 343,091, including 9,900 deaths.

India has conducted almost 6 million COVID-19 tests in total, with 154,935 taken in the past 24 hours, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

New Zealand Reports First New COVID-19 cases in Over Three Weeks

New Zealand has recorded two new cases of COVID-19, the country’s Ministry of Health announced.

They are the first cases to be reported in the country in 24 days, CNN reports.

The two new infections are both women from the same family who arrived in New Zealand from the UK via Australia, according to the ministry’s news release.

The women were allowed on compassionate grounds to leave their isolation at a hotel in Auckland and travel to Wellington via private vehicle to visit a relative who has since died, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said in a news briefing today.

“A new case is something that we hoped we wouldn’t get but is also something we expected and we have planned for,” Bloomfield said.
He added that one of the women experienced “mild symptoms,” but put them down to a pre-existing condition. The women didn’t use any public facilities during their journey.

Local public health staff are testing and isolating one additional family member who may be at risk of exposure, and they are tracing potential contacts — including people on the same flight from Brisbane and those in the same isolation facility.