COVID-19: Abuja shuts down all schools; NIMC shuts down centres

The Federal Capital Territory administration has directed that all schools in Abuja be closed by Friday, the 20th of March, 2020.
In effect, from Monday 23rd March 2020,
students should not be in school.
The Administration, in a statement from the Office of the Minister of State said measures will be intensified to prevent the outbreak of the dreaded COVID-19.
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, who gave the indication in Abuja during a meeting with heads of Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) under her supervision, also directed that both public and private schools in the territory should be shot down until further notice.
The minister also directed that social gatherings and worship centres should be restricted to avoid large gatherings that could further endanger the health of others, stressing that shop owners who fail to provide hand sanitizers and other preventive measures should be closed down indefinitely.
According to her, “we should not endanger the lives of children for whatsoever reasons. You know, when these children are in schools, they pick up anything and put them in their mouths without taking precautions of washing their hands. Therefore, the best and safer thing to do is to close down the schools for a week, two or even a month pending on the outcome.
“It might interest you to know that some states have gone ahead of us by closing down schools and we in the Federal Capital Territory, the seat of government cannot fold our hands and watch helplessly. As a matter of fact, as from tomorrow being Friday, all public and private schools in the territory should be closed down indefinitely.
“In the same vein, social gatherings and worship centres should be restricted to avoid large crowds because of body contact. Health officers will ensure that shop owners who fail to put in preventive measures will be closed down”*.
Aliyu, however, stated that sensitization would be intensified in all the six Area Councils across the territory to prevent possible outbreak of the disease.
On his part, the Acting Executive Secretary of FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Iwot Ndaeyo, said the board will mobilize all the stakeholders in the rural communities to drive the campaign.
Meanwhile, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has shut down all centers in five states.
A statement by the spokesman for the NIMC, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, reads: “As part of the measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Identity Management Commission, has ordered the immediate shut down of all its enrollment centers in *Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Katsina and Anambra States* .
“The move becomes necessary to prevent our Staff and applicants from getting more vulnerable to the pandemic.
“Consequently, all enrollment activities, card collection and other identity related activities are hereby suspended in the aforementioned States till further notice.
“The closure is not intended to create panic but to arrest the spread of the disease, which has become a global threat.
“We hereby regret any inconvenience the closure might cause as our paramount concern as a responsible and responsive Commission is the safety of all”.