schema:articleBody
| - Nigeria's house of representatives on Tuesday voted to close for a two-week recess as a precaution in the face of the coronavirus outbreak after the West Africa country confirmed its first case. Only a single case of coronavirus has been identified in the country, in Lagos, the economic capital of 20 million inhabitants, 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the federal capital of Abuja. The patient, an Italian national, arrived in Lagos from Milan on February 25 and went to a cement factory in the neighbouring state of Ogun. His diagnosis was confirmed on Friday. "As the people's representatives, we believe that we can't be here making laws when we are not sure of the safety of our constituents," Unyime Idem, a member of the house of representatives said. "We are proceeding for a break on Thursday. The motion was unanimously adopted by all the members and then on Thursday, we are leaving the complex to resume in two weeks time." Nigeria's National Assembly consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. Nigeria's only virus patient is still in a hospital specialising in the treatment of infectious diseases, officials said. Fifty-eight people who have had contact with him have been placed in quarantine. Coronavirus infections worldwide have climbed to more than 92,000, including 3,155 deaths, across 77 countries and territories, since the outbreak began in China in December. Besides Nigeria, Senegal is the only other country so far to register cases of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa with two confirmations. On Tuesday, Senegal's health ministry reported the second case, a Frenchman, aged 80, who arrived in the West African country from Paris on Saturday. He is in stable condition in hospital. str-spb/jpc/pma/bp
|