The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 86 confirmed coronavirus cases with two more deaths late Sunday night.
The centre for disease control says this take the total for coronavirus cases in Nigeria to 627.
“Eighty-six new cases of COVID-19 have been reported; 70 in Lagos, 7 in FCT, 3 in Katsina, 3 in Akwa Ibom, 1 in Jigawa, 1 in Bauchi and 1 in Borno.
“As at 11:50 pm 19th April there are 627 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria. Discharged: 170 Deaths: 21.”
The NCDC explained that one case previously reported in Kano, has been transferred to Jigawa state.
“Therefore, the total number of confirmed cases in Kano is 36 as at the 19th of April 2020.”
A break down of cases by states show that Lagos now has 376 while the Federal Capital Territory has 88.
Kano- 36, Osun- 20, Oyo- 16, Edo- 15, Katsina- 12 and Ogun with 12 cases. Kwara has 9 cases, Akwa Ibom- 9, Bauchi- 7, Kaduna- 6, Delta- 4, Ekiti- 3 and Ondo- 3.
Other states are Enugu- 2, Rivers-2, Niger- 2, Jigawa- 2, Benue- 1, Anambra- 1 and Borno- 1.
Meanwhile, a group – 2014 Nigeria Movement, wants the Federal Government to shut down the entire country immediately with a view to checking the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The group says the current method of locking down states in batches is not in the interest of the majority of Nigerians as “those cleared states can be re-infected if other states are not also cleared at the same time.”
“This would lead to prolonged closure of some states thereby hurting the masses of our people who live subsistent lives of daily wages and incomes,” it said in a statement yesterday by its National Policy Adviser, David Esosa Ize-Iyamu.
Ize-Iyamu added: “National shutdown should have been the better way to go to pre-empt the continuing and unabated spread of coronavirus.
He added: “It is good that the government has regarded financial institutions as part of essential services, but the effect of this policy is yet to be fully seen.
“It is being advised therefore that just as it is done for Nigeria Shippers Council efforts should be intensified to activate and actualize a plan that will keep the banks and the financial services running during the shutdown.