Nigeria coronavirus summary: cases, deaths, news - 15 April
Coronavirus live: latest Covid-19 news for Nigeria - Wednesday 15 April
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British Airways to run charter flights back to UK for British nationals
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Lang, has announced that an agreement has been reached with British Airways to run charter flights for British nationals wishing to return to the UK from Nigeria. To be eligible for the flights individuals must be British citizens who have their residency in the UK.
The flights will not be free for evacuating UK residents, but will cost £490.50 from Lagos and £477.50 from Abuja per seat. Infants under two-years-old travel free of charge.
The flights start on Saturday 18 April, with departure times of 15:10 from Lagos and 15:35 from Abuja.
You can register for flights from Abuja here.
You can register for flights from Lagos here.
To register you’ll need
- Full passport and contact details of each traveller for whom you are registering
- The means to pay the cost of the flight, and credit or debit card details
- Your UK home address and postcode
- Your full current address in Nigeria
Registration does not guarantee a seat on the flight, with anyone missing out being put on a waiting list for the next available departure.
Ventilators arrive in fight against Covid-19
Federal Government has taken delivery of a shipment of ventilators and other medical equipment from the United Nations systems in Nigeria to help the country’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Foreigners’ travel documents extended
The Nigerian Government on Wednesday announced that it will extend documents allowing foreigners to stay the country before airports were closed to international flights as a result of the Coronavirus lockdown.
Working together
The message continues to be repeated in Nigeria and elsewhere: by working together we can get through the pandemic.
Oil market falls too big to offset
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday forecast a 29 million barrel per day (bpd) dive in April oil demand to levels not seen in 25 years and warned no output cut by producers could fully offset the near-term falls facing the market.
The IEA forecast a 9.3 million bpd drop in demand for 2020 despite what it called a "solid start" by producers following a record deal to curb supply in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"By lowering the peak of the supply overhang and flattening the curve of the build-up in stocks, they help a complex system absorb the worst of this crisis," the Paris-based IEA said in its monthly report.
Nigeria is the worlds' ninth biggest exporter of oil.
Covid-19 impact on Nigeria's airlines
“There are no words to adequately describe the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the airline industry. And the economic pain will be shared by 25 million people who work in jobs dependent upon airlines. Airlines must be viable businesses so that they can lead the recovery when the pandemic is contained. A lifeline to the airlines now is critical,” IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, said.
Air Peace with 70 per cent of the daily flights operating about 90 flights everyday will no doubt suffer the biggest loss. Especially considering the lockdown includes the usual busy Easter period when airlines see a busy spell. IATA projects that the losses could amount to US$ 0.76 billion revenue for the industry and US$0.65 billion in contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
Read more via Daily Trust
Kano lockdown
More relating to the Kano lockdown declaration:
Kano, whose state capital shares the same name and is the second most populous city in the West African country, has recorded four cases.
Abba Anwar, a spokesman for Kano state governor Abdullahi Ganduje, said in a statement that the lockdown would begin on Thursday at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT). It said all markets would be closed and all public gatherings would be banned.
The statement said authorities would attempt to reach people who had been in contact with those who tested positive for the new coronavirus.
"The seven days lockdown would give us space and more chances to track down those contacts," the governor was quoted as saying.
Nigeria's northern economic hub Kano imposes week-long lockdown
The northern Nigeria economic powerhouse state of Kano will impose a seven-day lockdown to contain an outbreak of the new coronavirus, a spokesman for the governor said late on Tuesday.
Africa's most populous country has recorded 373 cases of the virus, which as resulted in 11 deaths.
Lockdowns and curfews have been imposed in many African countries but the restrictions are putting pressure on most economies. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday predicted Nigeria's GDP would fall 3.4% this year after growing 2.2% in 2019.
The United Kingdom’s Mission in Nigeria has announced plans to begin evacuating another set of British nationals from Saturday, amid COVID-19 crisis
Good morning and welcome to our live Nigeria coronavirus blog. Over the course of the day, we will be bring you the latest information, breaking news and data relating to the Covid-19 pandemic relating to the West African nation on 15 April. At the time of writing, the virus has claimed over 126,000 lives with over 1.9 million positive cases currently confirmed around the world.