President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a gradual easing of lockdown measures in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The three locations had been put on lockdown since March 30, 2020 as part of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease that has infected over 3 million people across the world.
However, in a national address on Monday, April 27, Buhari said the lockdown will continue till Monday, May 4 when a phased easing will commence.
The president has now imposed new measures that will apply nationwide; chief among them is the mandatory use of face masks in public, in addition to maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene.
“State governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists are encouraged to support the production of cloth masks for citizens,” Buhari appealed.
Buhari also said there will be an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am when all movements will be prohibited except for essential services.
The president also placed a ban on interstate passenger travel until further notice. However partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services will be allowed for the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers.
The restrictions on social and religious gatherings will also remain in place, according to the president.
The president assured Nigerians that the new measures will be strictly followed with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures.
He said the measures will also allow the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors.
Buhari noted that the measures are in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters, and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
Nigeria has recorded 1,273 coronavirus cases in 32 states and the FCT, as of April 26.
239 people have recovered, but 40 people have died.