Coronavirus: Chinese men test negative

Four Chinese men who were quarantined in Plateau for coronavirus have tested negative, according to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire.

The Plateau government had quarantined the Chinese nationals over concerns that they may have contracted the deadly disease.

During a press briefing on Monday, March 3, 2020, the minister said none of the Chinese men placed in isolation tested positive.

Chinese men quarantined in Jos (Image used for illustrative purpose) [The Cable] Pulse Nigeria

"None of these cases have any symptoms, and that they have all been tested at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reference laboratory, and they are all negative for Coronavirus infection," he announced.

Ehanire noted that despite the test results, the state has placed the Chinese nationals under supervised isolation for 14 days.

"We will continue to monitor the global situation with cases spreading quickly in countries as they are doing now," Ehanire added.

An Italian man who entered Nigeria last week is the country's only confirmed case of coronavirus, with around 100 quarantined in Lagos and Ogun states where he interacted with people before his diagnosis.

The coronavirus has killed over 3000 people across the world, mostly in China where it was first detected late in 2019.

There have been over 88,000 reported cases, with infections on every continent in the world except Antarctica.