Schools in Nigeria’s Lagos are set to open from next month as part of plans to revive the economy as the number of COVID-19 cases decline, the state governor said on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu said colleges will get reopened on Sept. 14 and primary and secondary schools will reopen on Sept. 21 in Lagos, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
“The gradual easing doesn’t mean the pandemic is over,” the Lagos governor said in a tweet. “It is not an invitation to carelessness or nonchalance.”
He further added that restaurants, social clubs, and recreational centers would also be allowed to reopen, but only with strict adheres to safety rules and social distancing measures.
Nigeria has reported over 53,000 coronavirus cases in total so far, including 18,104 in Lagos, and around 1,011 deaths.
On Sunday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) report that the country recorded 138 coronavirus cases, the lowest daily tally in almost four months.
The latest daily figure brings the total number of infections in the West African nation to 53, 865. In the past week, the number of coronavirus cases has fallen below 300.
The West African nation has been opening up gradually in a phased manner. The government is planning to resume international flights in September after domestic flights restarted last month and a ban on interstate travel was lifted. Secondary schools reopened across Nigeria this month for pupils due to take graduation exams.
In related news, last week, the Nigerian government postponed the resumption of international flights for another week. The flights had been set to resume Saturday. The flights have been suspended for five months as part of anti-coronavirus efforts.
Nigeria’s Aviation Ministry posted a tweet expressing regret for delaying the flight restart, but no explanation was given for the move.
