The United States says it has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Nigeria.
The United States Mission in Nigeria made this known on Monday night via its official Twitter handle.
It said multiple emergency flights departing from Lagos and Abuja had been confirmed for this week.
The mission asked Americans booked for the flight not to come to the airport until they had been contacted by officials.
The Twitter post reads, “The US Consulate in Lagos has confirmed multiple emergency flights for this week departing from Lagos and Abuja. Please do not come to the airport until we have contacted you directly. Please shelter in place and await further information.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has extended federal guidelines on social distancing until April 30 after a top health official warned that between 100,000 to 200,000 people could die from coronavirus in the United States.
The US has 139,000 confirmed infections, more than any other country in the world.
Worldwide, the total number of infections recorded since the beginning of the outbreak reached more than 770,000. Some 160,000 people have recovered globally while nearly 37,000 have died.
