Nigeria to reopen airports for international flights from Aug. 29

Nigeria will reopen its airports for international flights from Aug. 29, its aviation minister said on Monday. The airports have been closed since March 23 to all but essential international flights as part of the country's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nigeria will reopen its airports for international flights from Aug. 29, its aviation minister said on Monday.

The airports have been closed since March 23 to all but essential international flights as part of the country's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said four flights would begin landing daily in Lagos, and four in Abuja, with strict protocols.

"It is safe to fly, if we observe all those protocols in place," Sirika said at a briefing in Abuja. Africa's most populous nation, which recorded its first confirmed coronavirus case in late February, now has 49,068 confirmed cases and 975 deaths.

It resumed domestic flights on July 8, and Sirika said there had been no confirmed virus transmissions on flights.