Nigerian officials raided and shut down a popular Chinese supermarket in Abuja this week over concerns about the spreading coronavirus.
The supermarket is a major gathering spot for Chinese citizens and expatriates living in the Nigerian capital. The aisles and checkout area of the Panda supermarket are usually packed with shoppers.
But all were empty Friday, two days after officials of Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) closed the market.
The head of the commission, Babtunde Irukera, said the market was closed because of concern about imported products that could carry the coronavirus.
“The operatives of the place admitted that those things were imported from China,” Irukera said. “Our suspicion is not whether those products that we saw there are host carriers of the virus, but it was more of the fact that … is there a potential for a risk?”
Numbers climb
More than 200 people have died since the virus was confirmed in Wuhan, China, and nearly 10,000 others are infected and fighting symptoms that include fever and respiratory difficulties. The WHO has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency.
So far, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the African continent, although one suspected case has been reported in Botswana.
The head of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekwazu, said the government was not taking any chances.
“The first thing we’re doing is learning everyday about critical aspects of the virus — how it is transmitted, how many people die from it, how many severe cases it causes,” Ihekwazu said. “There’s new information coming up every day. We’re working closely with [the World Health Organization] to identify specific measures for controlling the outbreak but also to advise government on what to do in terms of trade and travel and all of that.”
Officials of the supermarket declined to comment on the shutdown.
Other businesses
Meanwhile, Irukera of the FCCPC said the regulatory agency planned to visit other Chinese-run businesses in Nigeria that might pose a risk of the virus.
“We’ve identified some locations in Lagos that we’d also be reaching to try and stop the supply of these products,” Irukera said. “There’s a larger plan. I know that customs is on more sensitive alert — the ports authority, the ministry of health.”
Nigerian health authorities have begun screening Chinese nationals entering Nigeria, and they also have urged citizens traveling to China to suspend their trips indefinitely.
Top-risk African countries
Meanwhile The World Health Organisation has identified 13 high-risk African countries for coronavirus.
They are Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
A statement from WHO said the identified African nations have direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
“WHO has identified 13 top priority countries (Algeria, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) which either have direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
“To ensure rapid detection of the novel coronavirus, it is important to have laboratories which can test samples and WHO is supporting countries to improve their testing capacity.
Since this is a new virus, there are currently only two referral laboratories in the African region which have the reagents needed to conduct such tests.
“However, reagent kits are being shipped to more than 20 other countries in the region, so diagnostic capacity is expected to increase over the coming days. Active screening at airports has been established in a majority of these countries and while they will be WHO first areas of focus, the organization will support all countries in the region in their preparation efforts,” the WHO said in a statement.
“It is critical that countries step up their readiness and in particular put in place effective screening mechanisms at airports and other major points of entry to ensure that the first cases are detected quickly,” added WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.
“The quicker countries can detect cases, the faster they will be able to contain an outbreak and ensure the novel coronavirus does not overwhelm health systems.”
As yet, there are no confirmed cases of the potentially fatal virus on the African continent.
Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse said four possible cases there have tested negative for 2019-nCoV, as has been the case elsewhere.
Angolan health minister Sílvia Lutucuta reports a new suspected case there, while Sudanese authorities previously said they were investigating two possible coronavirus infections.
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