Nigeria confirms five new cases of coronavirus, 6-week-old baby included

A six-week old baby is among the five new cases of coronavirus Nigeria has recorded, the country’s health authorities have said.

Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said while four cases were detected in Lagos, one was recorded in Ekiti.

It brings the total number of cases in the West African country to eight.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Health said all the new cases had a history of travel to the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where at least 1000 cases of the virus have been recorded.

“We urge Nigerians to remain calm as public health response activities are intensified across the country,” the ministry said in a statement.

The latest confirmed cases in Nigeria come moments after the Nigerian government announced travel restrictions for some 13, including the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Other affected countries are China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, Netherlands and Switzerland.

All the affected countries have so far recorded at least 1000 cases of coronavirus within their borders.

The Federal Government has also suspended the issuance of visa on arrival to travellers from the affected countries.

The travel restrictions are expected to take effect on Friday, March 20, and will be reviewed after four weeks.

All travellers returning from the affected countries prior to the restriction will be in supervised self-isolation, monitored by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Port Health Services.

Nigeria recorded its first and sub-Saharan Africa’s first case on February 25. The patient was an Italian businessman who returned from a business trip to Milan, Italy.

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