The National Coordinator of Presidential Task Force on Covid-19,  Dr Sani Aliyu, said that essential workers should be allowed free movement across the country. He warned against the use of bleach as cure for covid-19.

Bleach is poisonous; it could kill. It is not a cure for COVID-19. Hot or cold weather is not a factor in the transmission of COVID-19,” he added. Some persons have been touting bleach as anti-dote to the viral disease, with some roadside merchants vending an assortment of bleach-based concoctions as cure.

But said it was wrong and unscientific to ever conceive such idea, adding that the national response to COVID-19 was being driven by science

Aliyu pleaded with security agents to continue to accord citizens deserved respect and that  citizens must reciprocate such  respect.

The coordinator said that Africans were being infected by novel  coronavirus and were not immune to it.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Thursday said that Canada denied Nigerian carrier landing rights for a scheduled evacuation of Nigerians.

The minister, however, said that further diplomatic negotiations were ongoing on the matter.

Onyeama confirmed the development during the daily briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID- 19 in Abuja.

“It is true the Canadian Government denied landing rights to a Nigerian carrier scheduled for an evacuation duty, on grounds that the airline does not have a licence to undertake commercial flights to Canada.

“Our high commission is engaging with Canadian Government on this issue,” he said.

The minister said that Nigeria’s high commissioner to Canada was arguing that the airline was not a regular commercial flight but  an emergency evacuation flight.

“Negotiations are ongoing with the Canadian Government,” he said.