FAAN announces Guidelines for Flights + More Updates

587 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Nigeria

According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), 155 cases were recorded in Lagos, 75 in Edo, 67 in FCT, 65 in Rivers, 56 in Oyo, 50 in Delta, 25 in Bayelsa, 18 in Plateau, 18 in Kaduna, 17 in Enugu, 12 in Borno, 12 in Ogun, 7 in Ondo, 4 in Kwara, 2 in Kano, 2 in Gombe, 1 in Sokoto and 1 in Kebbi State.

In total, Nigeria has recorded 17,735 cases of COVID-19. 5,967 patients have been discharged from various isolation centres across the country, while 469 deaths have been recorded.

587 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-155
Edo-75
FCT-67
Rivers-65
Oyo-56
Delta-50
Bayelsa-25
Plateau-18
Kaduna-18
Enugu-17
Borno-12
Ogun-12
Ondo-7
Kwara-4
Kano-2
Gombe-2
Sokoto-1
Kebbi-1

17,735 confirmed
5,967 discharged
469 deaths pic.twitter.com/vUBukvZYTN

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) June 17, 2020

FAAN Announces Guidelines For Flights

Ahead of the resumption of commercial flights in the country, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has advised non-travellers to stay away from airports.

It also enjoined persons coming to pick up arriving passengers to remain in their cars until travellers exit airports’ entrances.

The authority made these announcements via their Twitter handle. See all tweets below;

#COVID__19 Flight Resumption Protocol for Passengers: Non travelling passengers will not be allowed into the Airport Terminal Building.#TuesdayThoughts #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/kQjFqp6LUd

— FAAN (@FAAN_Official) June 16, 2020

#COVID__19 Flight Resumption Protocol for Passengers: People coming to pick up arriving passengers are advised to remain in their car until the passenger exits the gate.#wednesdaymorning #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/reWt66jKvT

— FAAN (@FAAN_Official) June 17, 2020

FAAN also urged travellers to wear face masks, maintain two metres distance and arrive at airports at least three hours before flights to ensure proper checks.

Anambra Doctors Begin Strike

The resident doctors at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State, on Wednesday commenced indefinite strike, The Punch reports.

While stating that their action was in line with the directive of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, they accused politicians in the state of looting the COVID-19 fund.

Their statement was signed by the President and Secretary of COOUTH chapter of the NARD, Obinna Aniagboso, and Chidiebele Egolum, respectively read in part,

“We strongly appeal to the Anambra State governor to give our demands the urgent attention they deserve so that we can return to our duty posts soonest to continue providing essential care during this pandemic period. We reiterate that payment of COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance is sancrosanct and non-negotiable. It is unconscionable for politicians to fritter away the COVID-19 fund donated by philanthropists while COOUTH doctors who have been on the frontlines exposing themselves to increasing risk with inadequate PPEs continue to earn an insulting hazard allowance of N3,500.”

Imo House of Assembly Closed for Fumigation

The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Collins Chiji, has ordered the fumigation of the Assembly complex after some lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19.

The speaker equally ordered the shutting down of the complex for the next two weeks to enable medical expert to contend with the pandemic.

In a statement issued by his media office, Chiji said;

“In a proactive step targeted at curtailing the spread of the coronavirus disease within the Imo State House of Assembly complex, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins, has ordered the immediate closure of the Imo Assembly Complex for two weeks. He said the decision became necessary after a lawmaker in the Assembly was confirmed positive for coronavirus and samples of himself and 25 other members and their aides taken for testing. As part of the directive, the Speaker expects that the management and staff of Imo State House Assembly will as a matter of urgency activate this decision to enable the State Task Force on COVID-19 to fumigate the entire Assembly complex for a period of two weeks.”

China Reports 24 New Locally Transmitted Cases

China recorded 24 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to the country’s National Health Commission, CNN reports.

Beijing has 21 new cases, Hebei has two, and there is one case in Tianjin.

Officials in Beijing are racing to contain a new cluster of infections linked to an outbreak at Xinfadi, the city’s largest wholesale food market. The new Beijing cases bring the total number of infections linked to the cluster to 158.

Authorities in Beijing have imposed a soft lockdown on the entire city.

Germany to ban large events until end of October

Germany will keep its social distancing rules in place and extend the ban on large events until at least the end of October to curb a potential second wave of coronavirus infections, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

She was speaking after a meeting in Berlin with the premiers of Germany’s 16 states. Merkel urged caution as the country moved toward further easing of coronavirus restrictions, CNN reports.

Physical distancing rules will remain in place across Germany and large events — where contact tracing and distancing are not possible — will remain banned until at least the end of October, the chancellor said.

Merkel added that infection numbers have stabilized at low levels.

“I am actually pretty satisfied that the rate of infections is at a constant and I say again, we are watching things very closely. We are very far from an exponential growth. We are constantly around R factor (reproduction factor) 1. Sometimes a bit above, sometimes a bit under,” she said.

Honduran President Tests Positive for COVID-19

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was admitted to hospital in the capital Tegucigalpa after announcing he had contracted the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday.

According to The Punch, Doctors who examined the president said laboratory tests showed he was suffering from pneumonia, government spokesman Francis Contreras told reporters at the capital’s Military Hospital.

He added that Hernandez “has some infiltrates in his lungs but his general state of health is good.”

The 51-year-old president announced Tuesday that he had felt discomfort at the weekend that turned out to be COVID-19, his wife, Ana Garcia, has also tested positive but has no symptoms.