Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Author: Alpha Maidawa

Davido goes into self-isolation as partner, Chioma, tests positive for coronavirus
Ace Nigerian music star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, says he has decided to go into self-isolation as his fiancée, Chioma, has tested positive to the coronavirus.
Davido disclosed this in a series of tweets on Friday evening on his verified Twitter handle.
The “Assurance” crooner explained that the duo recently returned to Nigeria from their foreign trips without symptoms.
They, however, decided to take the COVID-19 test alongside close associates.
He said: “I came back recently from America after cancelling (my) tour.
“My fiancée Chioma also came back from London recently with our baby.
“We had no symptoms and still both feel perfectly fine but because of our recent travel history, we decided to take ourselves and our close associates we’ve come in recent contact with for the COVID-19 test on the 25th of March.
“Unfortunately, my fiancée’s result came back positive while all 31 others tested negative, including our baby.
“We are however doing perfectly fine and she is even still yet to show any symptoms whatsoever.
“She is now being quarantined and I have also gone into full self-isolation for the minimum 14 days.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank you all for your endless love and prayers in advance and to urge everyone to please stay at home as we control the spread of this virus.
“Together we can beat this.”
Davido and Chioma are now the first Nigerian celebrities to confirm and publicly declare their status in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The development has generated reactions from Davido’s fans and industry watchers on Twitter, with many expressing sympathy and praying for speedy recovery of Chioma.
Engineer Tolu @tolutezzy wrote: “Davido’s Chioma is tested positive for Covid-19, This is disheartening , what is the assurance I don’t have or you don’t have too because some of us have not done test.
“ Please I think this is the right time for all of us to stay at home and isolate ourself for 14 days…”
Danny Walter@Danny Walter wrote: ”We cover Chioma and Davido with the Blood of Jesus…”
Also, @AsiwajuLerry said: “ Davido just confirmed that Chioma is positive for Coronavirus, a nursing mother fgs. Can this Disease stop already???
“Stay Safe David and the rest of the family.Wishing her Quick Recovery as well.”
Another Twitter user@pengmanmodel wrote:”Oh….Davido’s fiancé, Chioma has tested positive for Covid-19 ! Apparently she’s not showing any symptoms but David has decided to go into isolation for 14 days.
“They were all at Mayorkun’s crib for his birthday. The whole DMW crew needs to self isolate! No joke!!”(NAN)
March 28, 2020
Already-qualified athletes will keep spots at 2021 Games in Tokyo
All athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will keep their spots for the Games next year following their postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.
The IOC and Japanese organizers postponed the July 24-Aug 9 event earlier this week but confirmed that those among the 11,000 athletes set to compete in Tokyo who had already earned their spot would keep it.
The IOC also said that the amount of spots allocated for each sport at the Games would remain the same next year.
“The 57% that are qualified do remain in place and the goal is to maintain the same athletes quotas across the different sports,” an IOC official said.
The virus has wreaked havoc with sports schedules and forced the cancellation of many Olympic qualifiers across many sports. Athletes have also been restricted in their training due to measures taken to stop the spread.
Though a huge blow to Japan, which has invested $12 billion in the run-up to the Games, the decision to postpone was a relief to thousands of athletes fretting over training with the world heading into lockdown to fight a disease that has killed thousands of people.(Reuters)
March 27, 2020
Nigeria needs 120 billion naira for coronavirus battle, turns to private sector
Nigeria has appealed to private companies to make voluntary contributions toward the 120 billion naira ($330 million) that the government says it needs to fight the coronavirus epidemic.
“So far, the federal government has made giant strides in the fight but it is clear that the private sector needs to step in and support efforts already being made,” Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele said.
The crash in oil prices, which have fallen by nearly two thirds this year due in large part to a coronavirus-induced demand collapse, has seriously battered Nigeria’s finances.
Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed this week pledged 6.5 billion naira to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and a further 10 billion naira for Lagos state, which has the bulk of the nation’s confirmed cases.
“To procure all needed equipment, material, and all infrastructure needed to fight this pandemic, over N120b need to be raised,” Emefiele said.
He has launched a coalition to do so led by the Aliko Dangote Foundation and Access Bank. It is already engaging state oil company NNPC and other oil sector players to raise funds.
Bank UBA Group, led by Tony Elumelu, on Thursday pledged 1 billion naira to Nigeria as part of a broader 5 billion naira coronavirus donation, and Emefiele said other prominent Nigerians including Dangote and five others would ensure that their organizations also contribute 1 billion naira each.
As of Friday, Nigeria had 65 coronavirus cases and one death.(Reuters)
March 27, 2020
Russia closes restaurants as coronavirus case count surpasses 1,000
Russia is closing restaurants nationwide for a nine-day period starting on Saturday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as the reported number of cases in the country surpassed 1,000.
Restaurants will still be able to provide delivery services during that time, according to the decree by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, published on his website on Friday.
The reported coronavirus cases, including at least three deaths, have been predominantly in Moscow, the country’s capital and largest city. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has warned that the actual number of cases is probably “significantly more.”
Russia has prohibited regular international flights and imposed strict quarantine measures for anyone entering the country and anyone who could have been exposed to someone infected with the virus.
The government has opted not to impose lockdown measures such as those seen in neighbouring China and some European countries, including Italy, Spain and France.
President Vladimir Putin has advised Russians in a nationally televised address to stay at home and said workers should be allowed to take off Monday through Friday next week and still be paid.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, assured the public on Thursday that Russia does not have a coronavirus epidemic. “We still need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” he told reporters.
Denis Protsenko, a doctor heading the treatment of coronavirus patients at a Moscow hospital, believes that Russia will have a better understanding of the impact of the disease in the country next week.
Protsenko met with Putin earlier this week at the Kommunarka hospital, where the Russian leader donned a hazmat suit and respirator and observed the treatment of coronavirus patients.
While other world leaders have gone into isolation due to concerns about having been exposed to the virus, Putin has cultivated the image that he is at the forefront of the country’s fight against the pandemic.
Russia closed its border with neighbouring China, where the disease originated, early on, in January, when the epidemic was beginning to emerge.
Russian officials have touted that response, as well as the quarantining of incomers into the country, saying they having thwarted a greater spread of the virus than has been experienced by other countries.
Concerns among the general populace escalated this week as Putin indefinitely postponed a nationwide referendum that had been scheduled for next month to decide whether he can run for re-election.
Putin, 67, has been in power as president or prime minister for two decades. He is the longest serving Russian or Soviet leader since Joseph Stalin.
The referendum, on sweeping changes to the constitution, including to bolster the power of the government’s legislative branch, dominated by politicians loyal to Putin, had been promoted for months by Russia’s leadership.
March 27, 2020
Premier League clubs keeping tabs on players’ mental health
Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on their players’ mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Premier League is suspended until at least April 30 due to the virus and players have been given individual training programmes at home as well as nutritional advice.
But clubs are also well aware that isolation and a change in routine can affect people’s mental health and are taking extra steps to protect their players’ state of mind.
“There is the psychological support that they need, which we are giving them,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told his club’s website.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said he has “spoken to most of the players … making sure they’re OK,” he told LeicestershireLive.
“On the mental side, for players, it’s a difficult period for everyone … so we’re helping them deal with that side. It’s important to be supporting their mental fitness and wellbeing. We have a structure in place to deal with that.
“People’s health is most important. The football aspect will come later, when the virus has been dealt with. We’re purely thinking of the well-being of our colleagues and their families.”
Liverpool, who are 25 points clear at the top and so close to their first Premier League title since 1990, are aware the effect the break may be having on their players.
According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool have received a presentation from their sports psychologist Lee Richardson asking them to focus only on the combined effort to combat the virus, not what might happen to the season.
“All we can control is our behaviour and our response to the challenge of keeping the most vulnerable safe and minimising infection rates,” the Daily Mail cited a club document.
“In focusing on the controllable and in accepting that which we cannot control, i.e. Premier League, government response, we give ourselves the best chance of overcoming the psychological challenge of keeping perspective.
“As the manager has said, football is not the most important thing. The health and safety of us all is far more important.”
Liverpool’s document has also gone even further, giving advice on how to stay healthy, mentally.
“The football stars were also offered breathing tips to help ease anxiety levels while also being warned not to post anything on social media that could be deemed insensitive by others,” it said.
Arteta, who himself contracted the virus, said the break may actually have a surprise effect on the club, in the long run.
“There are things we have to maintain doing, improve and develop, and individually they (the players) are really enjoying the challenge,” he said.
“We might get a few coaches after this virus, or at least a few players that are willing to go down that path because I think they are really enjoying the process.”(dpa)
March 27, 2020
Indonesia’s confirmed coronavirus cases surpasses 1,000
The Indonesian Ministry of Health on Friday said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia had surpassed 1,000 after 153 more people tested positive for the disease.
According to the ministry spokesperson, Achmad Yurianto, the number of cases as of Friday has risen to 1,046.
Yurianto said that the death toll from virus-related conditions rose to 87, after the death of nine more patients.
Meanwhile, 20 tons of medical equipment donated by China to support Indonesia’s fight against the coronavirus arrived in Jakarta on Friday.
An official at the Foreign Ministry, Santo Darmosumarto, said that the equipment donated by the Chinese Government include: test kits, masks, gloves, medical goggles and other personal protective equipment.
Darmosumarto added that another 20 tons were expected to arrive on Saturday.
Earlier, China sent 150,000 rapid test kits and other tools to Indonesia.
A public health professor at the University of Indonesia, Hasbullah Thabrany, said that the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia was expected to reach its peak in about one month.
“It’s in early stages,” Thabrany said.
The Indonesian Government had so far ruled out a lockdown, but several provinces had already imposed travel restrictions and a ban on large gatherings. (dpa/NAN)
March 27, 2020
Spain’s COVID-19 death toll nears 4,900 with 769 dead in 24 hours – Ministry
Spain’s death toll from coronavirus-related complications surpassed 4,850 people on Friday after the Health Ministry reported that 769 patients had died over the past 24 hours.
The number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 64,000, with 7,900 confirmed in the past 24 hours.
More than 4,000 patients are in serious condition with an overall death toll of 4,858, the ministry said in its daily update.
Meanwhile, 9,600 people have recovered from the illness.
The capital city of Madrid and the surrounding region remain the worst-hit, with over 19,200 cases and 2,400 dead.
The autonomous region of Catalonia has recorded nearly 13,000 cases and over 1,880 deaths, according to the ministry’s numbers.
Spain is the second most affected country in Europe after Italy in terms of COVID-19 confirmed cases. (Sputnik/NAN)
March 27, 2020
Africa: COVID-19 death toll surpass 83 as confirmed cases climb to 3,243
The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 in Africa has reached 83 as confirmed positive cases surpassed 3,243, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed on Friday.
The Africa CDC, specialised agency of the 55-member AU, in its latest situation update said the cases were spread across 46 African countries.
The continental disease control and prevention agency also disclosed that the Northern African region is the most affected area across the continent both in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the number of deaths.
Northern African countries have so far registered 1,249 positive COVID-19 cases as well as 60 deaths due to the pandemic.
The Southern African region, which is the second highly affected in the continent, has also so far registered 972 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while the Western African region has also registered 605 confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as 11 deaths.
The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 254 people who have been infected with COVID-19 have recovered across the continent.
Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, figures from the CDC also show that more than 400 new confirmed cases have been reported since the centre’s recent report on Thursday. (dpa/NAN)
March 27, 2020
Covid-19: Dana Air offers FG resources, aircraft to transport relief materials
Dana Air has offered its resources, aircraft and crew to assist the Federal Government’s efforts towards curbing the further spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, Media and Communications Manager of Dana airlines made this known in a statement in Lagos on Friday.
Ezenwa said in a letter to Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, Dana air expressed support to contribute in the transportation of machines, equipments and relief materials to different states, and locations where they are needed within the country.
According to the letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Jacky Hathiramani, “Dana Air will make available resources, aircraft in its fleet and crew for the national assignment and the airline’s crew will be more than ready and proud to carry out the assignment upon request.
Hathiramani said, “this is a global issue and this is the time for us all to play our part by supporting the government’s effort in stemming the further spread of this pandemic in our dear nation.
“I am not too comfortable with the rising number of cases in Nigeria,and this is why we also took the huge decision to suspend our flight operations for 14 days in the interest of our staff, our very esteemed customers and the nation at large.
“The support we are offering as an airline will only be an addition to the efforts of the government and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) in fighting the pandemic.
“We commend the efforts of the Ministry of Aviation, the Aviation agencies, Lagos State Government and Federal Government and wish to reassure them of our commitment towards contributing our resources to enhance prompt response to the fight against the spread of this virus,”Hathiramani added .
Ezenwa said Dana Air was one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with a fleet size of nine aircraft and daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri.
The airline is reputed for its innovative online product, world -class in-flight service and unrivaled on-time performance. (NAN)
March 27, 2020
COVID-19 : Kogi closes company, places Chinese workers on compulsory isolation
Kogi State government on Friday directed immediate closure of a ceramic tiles manufacturing company in Ajaokuta as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.
The state Commissioner for information and communication, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, said this in a statement in Lokoja.
According to him, government has also commenced monitoring the health status of the Chinese and other nationals working in the company.
” They have been placed on compulsory isolation,” Fanwo said in the statement.
The statement, however, urged residents not to panic, but maintain simple hygiene and obey the stay at home order as already directed by the government.
Fanwo said that markets, schools and some government offices would remain closed, while social and religious gatherings were suspended till further notice. (NAN)
March 27, 2020