Three months after the first case of novel Coronavirus was recorded in Nigeria, the country has continued to recorded new cases in each passing day as its total number of infections exceeds 11,000.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday announced that Nigeria has recorded an additional 348 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 11,166.
The country has also discharged a total of 3,329 patients, while 315 COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded.
According to the NCDC dashboard, 163 of the new cases were recorded in Lagos, 76 in the FCT and 23 in Ebonyi.
Other affected states were Rivers with 21 cases, Delta, Nasarawa and Niger with eight each, Enugu with six, five each in Bauchi, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Gombe, four in Benue, two in Ogun, and one each in Osun, Plateau, Kogi and Anambra.
Meanwhile, Lagos has remained the epicenter with 5,440 cases, followed by Kano State with 970 cases and the FCT with 763 cases.
Before now, the Federal Government in other to curb the spread of the virus imposed a lockdown on the three majorly affected states at the time (Lagos, Ogun State and the FCT), leading to the closure of most of the economic sector and religious places.
However, weeks after the lockdown the Federal Government began gradual easing of the lockdown allowing some sectors reopen for activities.
While most businesses have been allowed to resume, there are strict guidelines put in place as measures to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread as it is.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Tuesday said it does not recommend that people resume at places of worship, but if they have to, the task force will provide guidelines that would make it safe to do so.
In a set of guidelines later released by the PTF, places of worship were asked to comply with measures such as the mandatory use of face masks by worshippers, provision of hand washing spots at the entrances, use of hand sanitizers with at least sixty per cent alcohol content and mandatory temperature checks.
The PTF also mandated that facilities be structured in a way that physical distancing can be observed and as much as possible, congregants avoid activities such a hugging, shaking or kissing.
It also noted that church/mosque volunteers (ushers, choir, security etc) that have underlying illnesses should not be allowed to serve, while the time for worship services should not be more than one hour.
For schools, the government had stated last week that it is not ready to take the risk of resuming just yet.
The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, debunked reports that schools would open on June 8, adding that there would be no resumption “until we are sure that these children can go to school, return safely and not bring home with them, this COVID material”.