By Our Reporter

The federal government has declared that it will shut down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; and Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja from Monday March 23 to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Nigeria has already recorded 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Musa Nuhu, made the disclosure in a statement.

Three other international airports in Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt were shut on Saturday, leaving the two most important airports in the country open.

According to Nuhu, the closure will last April 23, adding that emergency and essential flights would be operated from both airports within the period.

He said the measure is expedient due to the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic which increased geometrically from 12 to 22 cases on Saturday.

He noted that domestic flight operations would continue normally in all airports in the country.