The Lagos State government has declared a shutdown of all public primary and secondary schools in its jurisdiction due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The shutdown takes effect from Monday, March 23, 2020.

Lagos state is Nigeria's most populous city and commercial capital. Most of Nigeria's confirmed coronavirus cases are being taken care of in the city.

The move to close down schools "has become necessary to prevent our children and their teachers from getting more vulnerable to the pandemic.

"It is important for parents to ensure that their children practice 'social distancing' while at home, wash their hands regularly or use hand sanitizers or observe high standards of personal hygiene. Children should be encouraged to remain at home.

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"The closure is not intended to create panic but to arrest the spread of the disease, which has become a global threat," the government said via a statement.

Nigeria currently has 7 confirmed cases of the virus.

The Incident Command Centre, headed by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is the Incident Commander, revealed that he will continue to trace all contacts of the identified cases and encourage anyone who has information about suspected cases to report to the nearest hospital or call the emergency telephone numbers 08023169485, 08033565529, 08052817243 and 08023401214.