Coronavirus: 394 Die In Spain In 24 Hours, Nigerian Cases Now 31

Spain plans to extend its state of emergency for another 15 days, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced, as the number of Covid-19 deaths soars in the country.

Sanchez, who addressed citizens in a televised briefing on Sunday, after meeting with health and security officials, said he expected the Parliament to approve his request to lengthen the order, which has been in place for over a week.

The country’s health ministry said on Sunday that another 394 had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 1,720.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s 1.5 million most vulnerable citizens are being told to stay at home for the next 12 weeks to help shield them from coronavirus.

Communities Minister, Robert Jenrick, says authorities will be writing to those who had been identified to offer them assistance to maintain social distancing during the outbreak.

“This includes providing food, so they don’t have to leave the house,” he noted.

The announcement was made at Sunday’s daily press briefing at Downing Street, alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Johnson said the measures were foreshadowed in the government’s response plan.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus cases in Nigeria increased from 22 on Saturday to 31 on Sunday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, in its twitter handle on Sunday, said the cases included 22 in Lagos State, four in the Federal Capital Territory, one in Oyo State and one in Ekiti State.

The centre said the two in Ogun State, including the Italian index case, had tested negative and had been discharged.

The NCDC stated, “Three new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria. Two cases are returning travellers and one is a contact of a confirmed case.  As of 05:28 pm on the 22nd of March, there are 30 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with no deaths.”

Nigeria recorded its first coronavirus case on February 27 when an Italian was diagnosed with the disease.

On March 19, the cases rose to 12 with most of the affected people being returnees from Europe and the United States.  On Saturday, the cases increased to 22 with Abuja recording its first cases.

As of 11am on Sunday, the NCDC said the cases were 27 in the country. It stated that the cases included 19 in Lagos; four in the  FCT;  one in  Ekiti;  one in  Oyo and two in Ogun.

But on Sunday evening, the number increased to 31 with three new cases in Lagos State and Atiku’s son who tested positive.

Atiku’s son tests positive

On  Sunday night former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said one of his sons had tested positive for Covid19.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, said this in a tweet on Sunday night.

The former Vice-President said his son had been moved to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, had last week tweeted that her daughter, who recently returned from the United Kingdom, was in self-isolation

We will shut down clubs, religious groups violating our directive –Lagos gov

Warning residents against violating directive on mass gatherings, the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said, “If it is a facility –  be it an event centre, be it a cinema, a restaurant, a club house or a religious gathering – that does not obverse it, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency has the power to shut down such a facility.”

The governor also said other health facilities would be upgraded to support the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. “We have evacuated other patients out of that hospital (Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba) and so the hospital will be locked down only for the COVID-19 cases alone,” he stated.

Lagos to recall retired doctors, nurses

He also indicated that the state would recall retired medical workers to strengthen the number of personnel needed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The governor stated, “As part of our strategies to strengthen our efforts, more health workers are also being trained and we have put some of our retired nurses and doctors on notice.  They will come to support health personnel who are working tirelessly at this time.”

Briton, American among Lagos new cases

While confirming the new cases recorded in Lagos on Sunday, the Lagos State Ministry of Health on its Twitter handle @LSMOH, tweeted that, “One of the three new patients is a 51-year-old Briton, who arrived Nigeria March 8 via BA75 flight, while the second is a Nigerian on connecting flight KL0582 London Amsterdam/KL0587 Amsterdam — Lagos March 14. The third is a 65-year-old citizen of the United States of America who arrived in Lagos about six weeks ago.”

The state Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni,  urged public and private schools in the state to adhere strictly to the directives of the state government on the closure of schools.

Seriki-Ayeni, in a statement on Sunday, said evaluators had been strictly mandated to monitor compliance to the directives of the state government to stop the spread of the COVID-19.

Oyo records first case, UK returnee kept isolation

As early as 5am on Sunday, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde,  confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the state. He said the patient, who was in isolation, was confirmed positive when his test result was released.

Makinde also stated, “A follow-up on the Ekiti COVID-19 case revealed that the deceased was picked up directly from Lagos Airport to a private apartment in Ona Ara Local Government Area.

“The health authorities have contacted the family concerned and the community has been alerted for intensified contact tracing and self-isolation of identified close contacts.”

Last week, a driver, who conveyed an American and his Nigerian companion, from Murtala Mohammed Airport, was diagnosed with the disease in Ekiti State.

The American died in Ekiti State, while his companion tested negative. The three of them were said to have stayed in Ibadan for 10 days.

Makinde on Sunday said a  returnee from Texas, USA, had been identified at Oluyole Local Government Area of the state. “She has been kept in self-isolation with close monitoring by the state epidemiological team,”  he said.

Adeboye, Kumuyi, Olukoya  comply with directive  on gathering

Meanwhile, senior clerics including the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre; the  General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi and Dr Daniel Olukoya of Mountain of Fires and Miracles Ministries complied with the orders of Ogun and Lagos state governments banning gathering of more than 50 persons.

But the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota, Ogun State held physical services despite the orders.

Adeboye during the online service said coronavirus would subside after God had proved His point.

Oyedepo holds  physical service, despite order

But the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota, Ogun State and Dunamis Church International, Abuja held Sunday services.

The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide,   David Oyedepo, led the physical’ services in Ota.

One of our correspondents, who monitored the service via the church’s YouTube channel, observed that thousands of worshipers gathered in the church auditorium.

Oyedepo led the congregation in prayers preceding his sermon titled “Winning the war against coronavirus”.

He said, “According to how we have prayed, the siege is over. The same way Ebola went away, this is going away. The same God that helped us that time is still alive, he will help us again.”

The church, had in a memo dated March 20 and written by the First Vice President of the LFC, Bishop David Abioye, asked branches of the church all over the world to comply with restriction orders in their locations.

However, one of our correspondents gathered that another memo was issued late on Saturday asking members to come to church service.

The first memo read, “In view of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the globe which has necessitated the temporary shutdown of activities within nations of the world to curb its further spread, all stations are hereby informed that the Mothers’ Day celebration earlier scheduled for Sunday, 22nd March is hereby postponed indefinitely.”

But a second memo, which was also signed by  Abioye, read, “Following recent release from the office of the CAN National President as per attached, our regular Sunday service(s)  shall hold tomorrow (Sunday) across various states of the nation. To this effect, every assembly should take necessary precaution.”

Besides the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota, no fewer than  12 other churches in Abeokuta and Sagamu violated the Ogun State Government’s directive.

The commander of the state Task Force on mass gathering,  Toyin Afolaogun led his team to disperse worshippers in some of the churches for flouting the directive.

Afolaogun said his task force got to the Winners Chapel in Abeokuta at about 6:30am when hundreds of worshippers, who had assembled preparatory to early morning service, were dispersed.

He said the worshippers were told to hold a service only if they would comply with the directive, limiting number of worshippers to 50.

Afolaogun said, “We have recorded about 80 per cent compliance. The church that did not comply, we politely told them to comply accordingly.”

Dunamis Church International observed a physical service in its 100-000 seater capacity Glory Dome auditorium along Airport Road in Abuja.

The church founded and overseen by Paul Enenche and his wife, Becky Enenche, tagged the service “Sensitisation Service” and release account details for “Online Offerings”.

Abuja churches  defy FCTA ban

Apart from Dunamis, many churches in Abuja held their normal services with hundreds and thousands of worshippers in attendance, despite the restriction by the FCTA.

Churches monitored by one of our correspondents in Kubwa, Jabi and Gwarinpa areas were filled as usual and their services held for the normal durations.

The correspondent counted more than 20 churches along the Arab Road, Kubwa, which opened on Sunday with the normal inflow of worshippers.

The churches included the Dunamis International Church, and the Champions Church, Chikakore, having some of the largest congregations in the area.

A worshipper, Mr Elijah Martins, said he decided to still go to church despite the FCTA restrictions because he believed Abuja was not as vulnerable yet as the South-West states.

Meanwhile, health workers at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada have expressed the fear over the presence of coronavirus patient in their hospital.

One of the doctors who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fact that they would have to cater for the patients shocked them because of the deadly nature of the virus.

Osun enforces ban on public gathering, disperses worshippers

A task force raised by Osun State Government on Sunday across the state dispersed worshippers that gathered for service.

The government had initially placed ban on gathering of people above 50 in number, but late Saturday, it announced total ban on public gatherings.

During visits to some churches in  Osogbo metropolis on Sunday, it was observed that many churches complied with the directive while in some churches, services were held.

Kwara tells workers to stay at home

Also, the Kwara State Governor,  Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in a statement on Sunday,  directed civil servants in the state to work from their homes.

IGP orders police to enforce social restriction compliance

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has directed zonal Assistant inspectors-general of police and state police commissioners to strictly enforce the directives in their respective jurisdiction.

Adamu in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, by the force spokesman, Frank Mba, enjoined Nigerians to voluntarily adhere to the orders.

The IG asked the senior officers not to condone cases of unnecessary arrests and detention of suspects. The Punch