FG announces reopening of schools, reduces curfew hours and bars Air France, KLM

The Federal Government has informed state governments and other stakeholders to begin the process of reopening schools

The National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, said “For educational institutions which include daycare, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Educational institutions should begin the process of working towards potentially reopening within this phase.

“However, we strongly recommend that states conduct risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess, create, and monitor this level of preparedness.

“Meanwhile, all daycares and educational institutions are to remain closed to in-classes until this level of risk is assessed. And if there will be opening of schools, it must be staged and preferably carried out in phases to ensure that this does not pose a risk to the general public and in particular to vulnerable groups that might end up getting infected by students going back home.”

Also, the six-hour curfew between the hours of 10.00 p.m. to 4.00 a.m. in the country has been scaled down to fours from 12.00 a.m..Said Aliyu: “I will first of all start with general movement. We are modifying the curfew to commence from 12 midnight to 4am nationwide, effective from 12:00 tonight.

“This does not apply to people on essential services and international travellers that might be returning from abroad.”

At the same event, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, listed major international airlines that would not land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja when flights begin from September 5.

They include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Royal line Morocco Air Namibia, Etihad, and Rwanda Air.

Those allowed in are British Airways, Emirates, Middle East Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopia, and Egypt Air.

But these airlines will observe Covid-19 safety protocols and bring in passengers who test negative to the PCR test at least four days to departure.

A second PCR test will be conducted on arrival, but passengers who test positive will be slammed into quarantine, while airline who bring in those passengers will face sanctions.