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Tag: Coronavirus

  • COVID-19: NYSC debunks report of corps member testing positive

    COVID-19: NYSC debunks report of corps member testing positive

    Mr Emmanuel Attah, Zonal Coordinator, National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Southwest Area Office in Osun, has debunked online reports that a corps member in NYSC Ekiti Orientation Camp tested positive to COVID-19.

    Attah, said in a statement that the report was fake, being peddled by mischievous people.

    He said it was saddening that such misleading and damaging reports would be peddled at a time the COVID-19 pandemic was being battled worldwide.

    “The attention of the NYSC has been drawn to a fake and unsubstantiated news making the rounds that a corps member presently in NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ise-Orun, Ekiti State has tested positive to Coronavirus and has been moved to the State Isolation Centre situated at Oba Adenuyigbe Hospital, Anilosun, Ado-Ekiti.

    “The said report was in bad light and it is orchestrated just to mislead Nigerians especially, parents and guardians of members of the service corps that are in NYSC Camps nationwide.

    “With every sense of responsibility, I wish to reiterate the commitment of the scheme to continue to wage unrelenting war against whatever pandemic that may rear its ugly head near any NYSC formation nationwide with far reaching actions in order to guard against the contraction of any deadly virus by corps members.

    “I equally wish to add that the corps member that was purportedly alleged to have tested positive was taken to a Laboratory in Ede, Osun State for comprehensive medical test to determine the veracity or otherwise of the damaging allegation and I am happy to inform the general public that the corps member tested negative to the dreaded epidemic.

    “Once again, I want to repeat that no corps member has tested positive to Coronavirus or any other disease in all the NYSC formations nationwide.

    “Accordingly, newsmen should endeavour to seek information and clarification from NYSC management or the accredited spokesperson before going to public with such damaging news items.

    “NYSC remains committed to the remarkable welfare and well-being of all corps members nationwide,” he said.(NAN)

  • Coronavirus: Interfaith Centre calls on UN to declare global Day of Prayers

    Coronavirus: Interfaith Centre calls on UN to declare global Day of Prayers

    The Interfaith Mediation Centre has called on the United Nations to declare a day of global prayers against the Coronavirus pandemic.

    The call was contained in a statement issued by Co-Executive Directors of the Centre, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa, and made available to News Agency of NIgeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna.

    “We beckon to all faith based groups the world over to intercede for God’s mercy and intervention and bring to an end this threat to human existence.

    “We also call on the United Nations to as a matter of urgency declare a day for global prayers, for God’s intervention across the world from this global pandemic.

    “We pray for God’s protection over our families, community members, regions and nations of the world, we pray for healing for those in turmoil of the virus,

    “Our hope and prayers for those that are quarantined and for God’s mercy and healings.

    “We call on all religious groups and institutions to continue to educate their adherents on the basic knowledge of hand washing, and to avoid touching other sensitive part of the head with the hands.

    ” Our faith is strong as we pray for those that are vulnerable.”

    They also prayed for the success of the various medical teams and researchers working day and night across the globe to end the pandemic.(NAN)

  • Coronavirus Fears: FG shuts down NYSC camps nationwide

    Coronavirus Fears: FG shuts down NYSC camps nationwide

    The Federal Government has ordered the immediate closure of the ongoing National Youth Corps Service orientation camps nationwide over coronavirus fears.

    The 2020 Batch A Stream One NYSC members arrived on camp on March 10 and were expected to leave three weeks after.

    But the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, on Wednesday, said the NYSC members would be released to resume at their places of primary assignment.

    He tweeted that the closure was a precautionary measure on coronavirus.

    “Today across the country, the NYSC Orientation camps will be closed and Youth Corpers will be paid and sent to their places of primary assignment.

    “This again is a precautionary measure on the part of the government to check the spread of COVID-19. The DG NYSC will provide details,” he tweeted.

    When contacted on the telephone, some NYSC members told our reporter that they were asked to pack their belongings Tuesday evening.

    Some of them said their deployment letters were given to them early Wednesday morning.

  • Covid-19: Atiku calls for policy measures for Nigerian economy not to return to recession

    Covid-19: Atiku calls for policy measures for Nigerian economy not to return to recession

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for policy measures to protect Nigerian economy and well being of the citizens as Coronavirus ravage many countries across the world.

    Abubakar, who was the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election, made the call in a statement he issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Abubakar said policy measures should be adopted to ensure that Nigerian economy did not return to recession due to effect of corronavirus effects.

    Some of the policies recommended by Abubakar include the temporary suspension of Stamp Duty on all types of accounts and reduction in the price of petrol.

    “The coronavirus is raging in the world and not just ravaging human beings, it is also affecting economies.

    “Nigeria is not an island onto itself, and we must take measures to protect the economic well being of our nation and people.

    “Every action that can be taken to ease the cost of doing business in Nigeria and reduce the cost of living, while promoting consumer confidence must be implemented.

    “All hands must be on deck in a multi partisan manner to ensure that Nigeria does not return to economic recession. This is possible with decisive leadership and disciplined management.

    “As such, I recommend that policies like the stamp duty on all types of accounts be temporarily suspended, until such a time as the nation’s economy has turned the tide in the fight against this virulent scourge.

    “Furthermore, as the landing cost of petrol, also known as petrol, has reduced significantly, it is strongly recommended that the government should not absorb the savings.

    “It should pass it on to the Nigerian people by way of reducing the pump price of petrol to reflect the current prevailing market costs,” he said.

    Abubakar urged the government to request large scale industrialists and employers of labour not to disengage workers.

    He said that definitely, the scourge of the virus would affect the companies production and profitability.

    “However, if they know that the government is behind them and will do all to support them, they are less likely to disengage workers.

    “These are extraordinary times, and we as a nation must take extraordinary measures to protect the entire nation.

    “Nigeria is our collective home, as such, we must suppress every partisan disagreement and think and work patriotically to ensure our national survival in the midst of global uncertainty.” (NAN)

  • Amazon’s Italian workers strike over lack of coronavirus safeguards

    Amazon’s Italian workers strike over lack of coronavirus safeguards

    Amazon workers in Italy were on strike on Tuesday as unions accused the online retailer of failing to protect its staff against the threat of the novel coronavirus.

     

    The strike started late Monday at a warehouse in Castel San Giovanni, in the northern Piacenza province. The area is one of the worst affected by the outbreak.

     

    In a joint statement, the Cisl, Cgil, Uil and Ugl unions accused Amazon of failing to implement additional worker protection measures with the Italian government agreed on Saturday with unions.

     

    These include the right to be given masks and other protective gear if workers cannot be kept apart by a safe distance, and extra sanitary measures in the workplace.

     

    “In the Piacenza hub, workers asked for masks 10 days ago and to date none have been handed out,’’ Cristian Sesena of the Filcams Cgil union told dpa.

     

    The strike will continue indefinitely, he said. One-day strike had taken place in two other Amazon warehouses in the regions of Piedmont and Lazio, he added.

     

    For its part, Amazon said it was following rigorously guidelines from the government and health authorities, and assured that the welfare of our workers, suppliers and customers comes first.

     

    For example, the company said it is no longer asking its staff to pick up a signature from customers after delivering packages, to avoid any close contact.

     

    Italy is the worst-affected country in the world outside China, where the coronavirus outbreak originated.

    On Monday, it reported a cumulative total 27,980 cases and 2,158 deaths. (dpa/NAN)

  • Coronavirus: Sri Lanka bans all incoming flights for 2 weeks – Official

    Coronavirus: Sri Lanka bans all incoming flights for 2 weeks – Official

    Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that it would ban all incoming flights for two weeks from 1830 GMT on Wednesday to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

    Flights already in the air will be allowed to land and passengers to disembark, said Mohan Samaranayake, a spokesman for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

    However, Some England fans were in Sri Lanka for the warm-up matches before the scheduled Test series

    Sri Lanka has closed its border to travellers from the UK, affecting England fans that were still planning to visit the country in spite of the postponement of the two-Test series.

    Even though Joe Root’s side arrived home on Sunday, a number of supporters intended to go ahead with holidays.

    A total number of 28 Sri Lankans have been confirmed of having infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus in Sri Lanka as of now, says the Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe.

    Six more males have been tested positive for the coronavirus, said Jasinghe.

  • Turkey suspends mass prayers, shuts cafes, cinemas to contain virus

    Turkey suspends mass prayers, shuts cafes, cinemas to contain virus

    Turkey has suspended congregational prayers in mosques and closed cafes, cinemas, and sports venues to contain the spread of coronavirus as the confirmed cases climbed to 47.

    Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said late on Monday that Turkey had 29 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 47 since the first positive test was announced on March 11.

    All 29 people had “directly or indirectly” been in contact with the U.S., the Middle East or Europe, including three who returned from the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Koca tweeted.

    While Turkish authorities haven’t reported any deaths from the COVID-19 disease, the government has ramped up measures to ward off an outbreak.

    Koca said flights to six more countries would be banned, bringing the total to 20 nations.

    The latest travel ban – to Britain, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates – will go into effect at 8 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday.

    Earlier, Turkey’s highest religious authority suspended all mass services, including Friday prayers, at mosques across the country.

    Ali Erbas, the head of the religious affairs directorate (Diyanet), said that mosques would remain open for individuals, but not for group prayers.

    “Until the danger of spreading the new type of coronavirus disappears, it has become necessary to interrupt prayers with the community in mosques and masjids [small mosques or prayer rooms], especially Friday prayers,” Erbas told a press conference.

    The decision affects tens of thousands of mosques across the country.

    The Diyanet head urged the faithful to pray at home.

    Noting that one of the main tenets of Islam is to protect people’s lives, Erbas recounted how the prophet Mohammed had cautioned believers not to leave places hit by the plague and to respect quarantine instructions.

    The Interior Ministry ordered the nationwide closure of cafes, restaurants, cinemas, wedding halls, casinos and amusement parks.

    Also included on the list of temporary closures were indoor children’s playgrounds, internet cafes, Turkish baths, spas, massage parlours, shisha lounges, swimming pools and sports facilities, the ministry said. There was no indication of how long these measures would last.

    The ministry had earlier called for bars, discos and nightclubs in all 81 provinces to be shuttered.

    Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul announced additional measures, such as postponing court hearings.

    The government has already closed schools and universities, and quarantined thousands of pilgrims returning from Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will on Wednesday hold a coordination meeting on the fight against the new virus and address the nation on next steps to be taken, his communications director Fahrettin Altun said. (dpa/NAN)

  • Chelsea player defies self-isolation protocol to play in public park

    Chelsea player defies self-isolation protocol to play in public park

    Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount was spotted playing at a football park along with West Ham’s Declan Rice on Sunday, defying the club’s self-isolation protocols which came into place last week.

    Chelsea’s first-team players and coaching staff are all in self-isolation after winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

    It was reported that Mount and Rice, both England internationals, were playing a five-a-side game at the Trent Park Football centre near Barnet.

    It is understood that Chelsea players have been reminded about the self-isolation protocols and are expected to resume training only when they are out of isolation on March 22 to March 23.

    West Ham said last week that some club personnel are self-isolating after making direct contact with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta —- who also tested positive for the virus.

    But the players were not self-isolating.

    The English Premier League has been suspended until April 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic which has been responsible for an unprecedented shutdown of world sports.

    Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 170,000 people and over 6,500 have died.

    The UK has nearly 1,400 cases with 35 deaths.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Woods, Park outside Tokyo Olympics qualifying as coronavirus halts tours

    Woods, Park outside Tokyo Olympics qualifying as coronavirus halts tours

    No changes are planned to the Olympic golf qualifying system, the International Golf Federation (IGF) which runs the event said on Monday after the sport shut down due to the coronavirus.

    This could deal a hammer blow to the chances of Tiger Woods qualifying for Tokyo 2020, and for Park In-bee’s hopes of being eligible to defend her title from Rio 2016.

    Based on the current rankings, Woods (U.S.) and Park (South Korea) would not qualify for their respective teams.

    However, scrambling the equation is that even if the Olympics go ahead, many golfers could opt out, much as they did from Rio 2016 due to concerns over the zika virus.

    Eligibility for the Tokyo 2020 men’s and women’s events will be determined by world ranking points.

    They are compiled over almost two years from July 1, 2018 until June 22 (men) and June 29 (women) this year.

    The list essentially mirrors the world rankings in determining the 60-player fields, with a maximum of two players from any single country (four if inside the top 15).

    But the halting of the professional tour schedules for an undetermined time frame will have winners and losers, because there will be little week-to-week flux in the rankings.

    Those on the outside looking in will for the most part continue looking in, and vice-versa.

    “This has proven to be a fair and equitable system,” the IGF said of the qualifying system in an email to Reuters.

    “The IGF is monitoring the challenges faced by our athletes to participate in events, which continue to change daily, and we currently believe that the system still remains fair to all athletes who are vying for qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”

    In other words, bad luck if you’re outside the qualifying cut line and hoping to play your way in.

    Though Park is 11th on the overall women’s world list, she is only the fifth-ranked Korean behind Ko Jin-young, Park Sung-hyun, Kim Sei-young and Lee Jeong-eun.

    The LPGA Tour has canceled three tournaments in Asia, and postponed three U.S. tournaments that were scheduled over the next month.

    Even if rescheduled, it is unlikely these American tournaments will be played before the Olympic cut-off.

    An even bigger question from a global marketing aspect is what the PGA Tour shutdown, at least through next month’s Masters, means to Woods’s hopes.

    He is sixth on the American list, behind Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed.

    Dustin Johnson has ruled himself out, citing a busy schedule, though he could be joined by others wanting to keep their travel to a minimum unless the coronavirus abates quickly.

    Woods, 44, has often stated his desire to play in what would likely be his only chance of being an Olympian.

    Though he has more important matters on his mind given that he was unable to enter last week’s Players Championship due to a stiff back, and there are no exemptions.

    He has played only twice this year.

    The 15-time major champion plays such a limited schedule at the best of times that even if, under a best-case scenario, the PGA Tour cranks back up again in mid-April.

    There are only a handful of events he will contest before the Olympics deadline.

    The Olympics golf tournaments are scheduled to take place from July 30 to Aug. 2 (men) and Aug. 6 to 9 (women) at the Kasumigaseki course.(Reuters/NAN)

  • China reports just 1 new domestic coronavirus case in new low

    China reports just 1 new domestic coronavirus case in new low

    China reported 21 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday along with 13 new deaths caused by the illness COVID-19, according to the latest figures from the National Health Commission.

    All but one of the new confirmed cases are imported, brought into the country by citizens returning from abroad.

    Only one new case was recorded in Hubei province, where the outbreak first began in December last year – a new daily low for the country, where imported cases surpassed domestic ones for the first time on Sunday.

    COVID-19 has killed 3,226 people in China and infected a total of 80,881 people, of whom 68,679 have recovered.

    As the respiratory disease continues to spread globally and kill thousands in Europe, official figures from Chinese health authorities point to complete containment of the virus within its source country. (dpa/NAN)