COVID-19
Nasarawa lifts ban on worship centres for two weeks
The Nasarawa State Government Tuesday lifted the ban it placed on worship centres in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging the world. This was even as the state equally lifted the ban on operations of tricycles in the state but with a condition that each tricycle operator must not take more than two passengers. The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dogo Shammah, announced the lifting of the bans on worship centres and tricycle operations in the state at a press briefing at the Government House, Lafia. However, Shammah added that the lift on both bans would last for two weeks, thereafter it would either be sustained or reversed based on the compliance of worshipers to the rules of safety. He said: “Clergies in the state are therefore directed to ensure the compul...
House of Reps urges speedy production of local coronavirus vaccines in Nigeria
The House of Representatives has stressed the need for speedy production of local vaccines for the treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The House also mandated its standing Committees on Healthcare Services, Health Institutions and Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria to invite the Hon. Minister, Federal Ministry of Health, the Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Executive Director, May and Baker Nigeria PLC to brief the Committees and deliberate on possible ways of getting the needed legislative support to fast track the production of vaccines in Nigeria and report back within four (4) weeks for further legislative action The resolutioms followed the adoption of a motion on notice, moved by Rep. J...
PDP raps SGF Mustapha, President Buhari over coronavirus broadcast
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for not announcing the extension of gradual lockdown ease himself. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, had yesterday announced the extension in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States. The president was expected to address Nigerians on Monday as the cases of coronavirus surged sharply since the gradual easing of the lockdown kicked off on May 4. Aliyu Sani, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announced on Sunday that the president will address the nation. It was expected to be the president’s third broadcast since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic but the Presidency stated that none was planned. Special...
Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer Postpone “Hella Mega Tour” Until 2021 Due to Coronavirus
Weezer (photo by Ben Kaye), Green Day (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Fall Out Boy (photo by Philip Cosores) Sadly, the “Hella Mega Tour” has been hella postponed. Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer were set to perform together throughout Europe and North America this summer, but now they’ve announced that they’re pushing the entire outing back to Summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The massive tour was originally supposed to begin overseas on June 13th. That European leg, which was scrapped back in April, also featured stops in Vienna, London, and Dublin. The pop punk triad were then scheduled to play North America from mid-July through the end of August. That itinerary included the cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Jacksonville, and Atlanta, as well as Chicago, Detroit, New ...
To Emerge from COVID-19 Businesses Will have to “Re-Think” Traditional Models
Sourced from Tech Loot Traditional models of business funding need a re-think if South Africa’s small businesses and entrepreneurs are to emerge from the financially crippling “winter of coronavirus” into a spring of growth and rejuvenation. Accepting that downturns, recessions and economic crises are inevitable, one needs to shift the focus into building “Zebra” companies – sustainable businesses with steady growth, strong balance sheets and cash flows, and able to withstand downturns – rather than “Unicorns that will die without the next round of funding”, says University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) Senior Extraordinary Lecturer, Daniel Strauss. “In the past, we had a mindset of ‘or’ – we either had a traditional SMME that was funded through debt or we had a start-up that was f...
Lagos discharges 15 more coronavirus patients
Lagos State has recorded 15 more coronavirus recoveries. This brings the total recoveries in the state to 623. The state Health Commissioner disclosed this via Twitter on Monday night. “177 new COVID-19 Infection confirmed in Lagos. Total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lagos is now 2566. “15 fully recovered COVID-19 patients; 9 females and 6 males, all Nigerians were discharged. This brings the total number of #COVID19 discharged patients in Lagos to 623,” he said. Newsmen reports that there are 1889 active infections and 36 associated deaths reported in the state. Get more stories like this on Twitter
Chris Oyakhilome’s TV station sanctioned in UK over coronavirus claims
A TV channel in the UK owned by one of Nigeria’s most flamboyant evangelical pastors has been sanctioned by Ofcom, the broadcasting authority in London, BBC reports. According to BBC, the authority punished Chris Oyakhilome’s Loveworld Limited, which runs the Loveworld channel that can be viewed in the UK, “after a news programme and a live sermon included potentially harmful claims about causes of, and treatments for Covid-19”. Pastor Oyakhilome has linked the virus to 5G networks and alleged that it was part of a plot to create a “new world order”. Such views have been widely condemned by scientists, who say the idea of a connection between Covid-19 and 5G is “complete rubbish” and biologically impossible. Ofcom said that the programme “Loveworld News included unsubstantiated claims that...
US coronavirus death toll exceeds 90,000 as Donald Trump urges reopening
The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 90,000 on Monday as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1.5 million across the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The grim milestones came as President Donald Trump tweeted to “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!” and the White House attempted to shift blame, including onto its own scientists, for the high number of deaths. On Sunday, members of Trump administration disagreed on whether the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) let the country down with testing efforts. “Early on in this crisis, the CDC, which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space, really let the country down with the testing,” Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme....
Timipre Sylva wants Bayelsa APC members to remain strong
The Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Monday, advised members of the party in the state to remain strong and steadfast. Sylva gave the advice in a statement in Yenagoa, issued by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Mr Doifie Buokoribo. “Despite the troubling times in which we are all living in, APC members and supporters in the state must not lose hope,” he said. The minister observed that APC’s overwhelming victory in the Nov. 16, 2019 Governorship election that was voided by the Supreme Court on Feb. 13 still hurts. He said that the party cannot allow itself to be destroyed by that unfortunate incident. “It must survive it, reinvent and reposition itself for the great task of transforming Bayelsa...
Volbeat Officially Cancel US Tour After Previously Hoping to Reschedule the Outing
Like most bands, Volbeat were recently forced to postpone their spring US tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Danish rockers originally hoped to reschedule the dates for the fall, but have now decided to outright cancel the outing, which was set to feature support from Clutch and The Picturebooks. The tour was slated to run from April 4th in Tempe, Arizona, to May 13th in New York City. Upon announcing its postponement back in March, Volbeat informed fans that they were looking to reschedule the tour for September and October. Now, with a growing consensus that concerts won’t return to the States in earnest until 2021, the band revealed today (May 18th) that the tour is officially canceled. Volbeat issued the following statement explaining the decision: “We hate to be another band start...
