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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday made his first public appearance since being hospitalised with coronavirus three weeks ago , saying Britain was beginning to “ turn the tide” on the outbreak but rejecting calls to ease a nationwide lockdown .

In a statement in Downing Street marking his return to work, looking thinner and with his trademark blond hair a little more unruly than usual , Johnson apologised for being away “ for much longer than I would have liked ” .

He thanked the British people for heeding more than a month of stay – at -home orders , saying their action had helped ensure the state – run National Health Service (NHS ) had not become overwhelmed .

“ That is how and why we are now beginning to turn the tide, ” Johnson said , echoing his promise on March 19 that Britain could turn the tide on the outbreak in three months if people followed social distancing rules.

But more than 20 , 000 people have already died in Britain , not including deaths in care homes and in the wider community, making it one of the worst hit countries in the global pandemic .

And while Johnson acknowledged growing demands for the lockdown to be lifted to reduce the economic impact , he insisted that now was not the time .

“ I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people and to risk a second major outbreak , a huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the NHS , ” he said .

AFP

Ikeja Electric Plc , one of the power distribution companies in Lagos State , says electricity is not free during the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic in the state .

The company stated this on Monday via Twitter saying “ Electricity is NOT free! Not even during the lockdown . Please PAY your bills to enjoy power supply. ”

It further noted in a statement that it supports the efforts of the Federal Government and the National Assembly to consider a proposal exploring the possibility of providing free electricity for two months as part of palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown on customers .

It, however , added , “ At the moment , it is still a proposal undergoing stakeholder reviews . It has not been approved by the Federal Government as a stimulus package or palliative . ”

The company urged Lagosians to pay their electricity bills using online platforms so as to continue to have access to power “ during this difficult period ” .

The PUNCH reports that Lagos has been on FG- ordered lockdown since 11 pm , March 30 as part of efforts to curb the spread of the lethal infection.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as of Sunday night , over 50 per cent of coronavirus cases recorded in the country were reported in Lagos , the highest by any state .
Residents of the state look forward to an address by the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) by 8 pm on Monday to know whether the lockdown will be extended for the second time or lifted .

The Ondo State Government said that it had no plan to return some bags of rice sent to it by the Federal Government as palliatives to the effects of the COVID- 19 lockdown in the state.

The state COVID- 19 Task Force team had earlier stated that some of the received bags of rice had expired and were separated from the good ones , and maybe returned , subject to the directive of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu .

Speaking on the development , Akeredolu ’ s Special Adviser on Public and Inter – Governmental Relations , Mrs Olubunmi Ademosu , said there was no plan to return the rice and other food items sent to the state by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management .

She said , “ The state government commended the gesture by the Federal Government towards cushioning the effect of the lockdown on residents of the country . It behooves on us to appreciate the gesture rather than condemning it.

“ We must not create another problem while finding a solution to one , we have tested the rice, checked the expiry date and I can confirm to you that the rice is of good quality and good for consumption . ”

The state had received 1800 bags of rice in three trailers alongside 700 gallons of vegetable oil last week from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management as part of the measures to cushion the effect of the COVID- 19 lockdown in the state .

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State , has disclosed that close to 60 per cent of the COVID- 19 cases recorded in the state is linked to the University College Hospital , Ibadan .

Makinde made this disclosure during a programme on Fresh 105 . 9 FM , Ibadan , tagged “ COVID- 19 Situation Room ”.

The governor noted that although it was clear that all manners of people go for treatment at the UCH , a high percentage of the confirmed COVID- 19 cases in the state came from the hospital .

He said , “ The three additional cases and the fatality that occurred in the state yesterday (Sunday ) are all linked to UCH . Almost 60 per cent of the cases in Ibadan is linked to the place but I feel they have been a little bit defensive . I had reached out to the CMD .

“ The Federal Ministry of Health has sent a letter to all federal tertiary teaching institutions to work with their respective states and we have opened a line of communication with UCH . It may not be fantastic but it is open and we are brutally frank with ourselves .

“ Apart from us reaching out to UCH management , we have asked them to bring somebody as a representative to work on the COVID- 19 Committee and we are asking them to work with our Commissioner for Health on accreditation and setting up of isolation centres . ”

According to him , where and when necessary , the administration may consider the possibility of walling off communities to ascertain the level and pattern of spread of the disease in the areas .

He disclosed that the state would embark on the distribution of palliatives to 120 , 000 vulnerable residents of the state this week, stressing that the exercise would run concurrently in all the local government councils in the state .

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as of Sunday night , 21 cases of COVID- 19 have been reported in the state .

The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital , Idi -Araba , has announced the delivery of a baby girl by a COVID – 19 patient .
The hospital via its twitter handle , @ LUTHoffical, said the delivery took place afternoon .

“ A team of LUTH doctors , anesthetists , and nurses delivered a woman with COVID- 19 of a baby girl this afternoon . The 40 – year – old mother gave birth to a 3 . 3 kg baby . Our gratitude goes to these gallant men and women and all warriors making the nation proud in the face of this scourge , ” the hospital tweeted.

The Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital , Prof . Wasiu Adeyemo , told our correspondent that the newborn was doing well but her sample would be taken for a test soon .

“ The chance of the baby being COVID- 19 is unlikely but we have to take her sample for testing , but she is doing well . The baby is going to be with her mother in a separate ward and room in our isolation centre , ” he said .

Former Kano State Governor , Rabiu Kwankwaso , has alleged that COVID- 19 is responsible for the deaths of senior citizens in the state.

He said this in a letter written to the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , a copy of which was obtained via his Twitter handle .

A copy of the letter was also shared by the Personal Assistant to the President , Bashir Ahmad , who accused Kwankwaso of playing politics with COVID – 19 .

According to the former governor , the absence of a testing centre in the Kano has made many people resort to “ self – help ” .

He claimed that those who died in the state contracted the COVID – 19 from persons who are positive but unaware .

Part of the letter read , “ Permit me , Mr . President , to draw your attention to the spike in mystery deaths among the aged population in Kano State in the last couple of weeks . Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone .

“ Looking at the pattern elsewhere in the world where senior citizens with preexisting conditions were the main fatalities of the novel coronavirus , we are concerned that the inability to conduct tests in the state to determine the status of these senior citizens might be responsible for their death.

“ We are even more concerned that if sincere and efficient machinery is not urgently put in place to understand and mitigate against this , more lives of innocent senior citizens will be lost .

“ I should inform Mr . President that since the announcement of the positive results of the members of the committee, no test was ever conducted in the entire state again . This is very frightening as neither asymptomatic nor active cases are being identified and isolated, as such carriers of this dreaded virus are all about and spreading it and causing the untimely death of especially our senior citizens . ”

He also urged the federal government to take over the responsibility of rapid response on coronavirus in the state .

Among other recommendations given by Kwankwaso to end the rising deaths in Kano are that “ the State Government should be made to constitute a proper State Taskforce on COVID- 19 with members selected base on their professionalism and competence .

“ At least five additional test centres should be established with 10 other sample collection centres across the State .

“ An independent Federal Government team of experts should be mandated to investigate the rise in cases of death in the elderly population across the State . ”

The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ) , will address Nigerians at 8 pm today ( Monday ) .

Personal Assistant on New Media to the President , Bashir Ahmad , made this known via a tweet .

He tweeted, “ Buhari will address the nation later today , at 8 :00 pm . Television , radio , and other electronic media stations are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the NTA and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria respectively for the broadcast . ”

The President had on March 29 imposed a 14 – day lockdown on the FCT and the two states to contain the spread of the virus . At the end of the 14 days , which terminated on April 13 , the President extended the lockdown by another 14 days , saying the pandemic had become a matter of life and death and that it was no longer a joke .

However , barely a day to the end of the extension , stakeholders have disagreed on whether the President should extend the lockdown or ease it.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 , Mr Boss Mustapha , had maintained that only the President could decide on whether there would be an extension of the lockdown or it would be lifted .

As of April 13 when the President extended the lockdown , the number of cases was 343 in 19 states and the FCT. The number of deaths was 10 while 91 persons had been discharged . But , as of today ( Monday ) , there are 1273 confirmed cases of # COVID- 19 reported in Nigeria ; 239 recoveries and 40 deaths .

There is a fire outbreak at the Yaya Abatan area of Ogba, Lagos State .

Reports gathered that the fire which gutted the filling station had spread to nearby houses along College Road.

As of the time of filing this report , the cause of the fire is unknown .

“ Yes , there is fire , ” a resident in the area , Bukola , told our correspondent on the telephone .

Children in China ’ s two most important cities went back to school Monday after more than three months at home, as coronavirus restrictions eased and governments around the world began charting a path out of the pandemic lockdown .

Europe ’ s four worst- affected countries all reported marked drops in their daily death tolls , offering hope that the outbreak may have peaked in some places — at least for now.

But leaders and experts remain divided on how quickly to revive shuttered economies while maintaining a delicate balance between freedom and safety .

Italy and New York laid out partial reopening plans , with France and Spain to follow suit this week, while tens of thousands of final – year students returned to school in Shanghai and Beijing after months of closures .

“ I ’ m glad , it’ s been too long since I ’ ve seen my classmates, ” 18 – year- old Hang Huan said in Shanghai . “ I ’ ve missed them a lot . ”

Students in Beijing must have their temperatures checked at school gates and show “green ” health codes on an app that calculates a person’ s infection risk, according to the education ministry .

Norway , which says it has the new coronavirus epidemic under control , reopened primary schools to the youngest students on Monday , in another step toward a gradual normalisation , though some parents expressed concern .

One week after nursery schools , pupils aged six to 10 started returning to their school desks after six weeks of remote learning from home in the Nordic country.
Classes were however reduced to a maximum of 15 students .

Norway has progressively begun lifting restrictions imposed on March 12 to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus .

Hair salons and dermatologists were also authorised to resume business .

Many measures remain in place , such as bans on sporting and cultural events, as well as social distancing and hygiene recommendations .

“ We should not let down our guard , we have to work hard to keep the spread under control, ” Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Friday .

“ If we ’ re not careful , this could have serious consequences for others. In the worst of cases, we ’ ll have to tighten restrictions again . We ’ ll have to make sure to avoid that . ”

Gawat Jubril , Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Lagos State , Governor Babajide Sanwo – Olu , says his principal’ s directive compelling all residents of the state to wear face masks in public spaces is no license to defy the lockdown order currently in place.

Jubril made this known via Twitter shortly after the governor kicked off the “ Mask Up Lagos ” campaign as part of efforts to curb the circle of transmission of the coronavirus disease in the state .

Sanwo- Olu said , “Dear Lagosians , even as we observe the lockdown , we are kicking off # MaskUpLagos ; the COMPULSORY wearing of face masks in Lagos . Face masks help to protect us from droplets and secretions from coughing, sneezing , etc as not everyone that is infected will show symptoms .

“ Face masks, combined with frequent hand washing , being conscious about NOT touching our face, as well as # SocialDistancing , are effective in slowing the spread.

“ The state government is currently producing about 3 million facemasks for distribution to the vulnerable . N95 and surgical masks help our medical workers stay safe while cloth masks made to specifications that will be released by the Ministry of Health combined with other guidelines will help protect our residents from COVID- 19 . ”

Subsequently , the governor ’ s aide tweeted, “Some people are automatically translating Mr Governor ’ s directives on compulsory face masks in public as “ freedom of movement ” … . . You are on your own ooo …”