The Plateau government has directed the closure of all public and private schools in the state, on or before March 21 following an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.

The Secretary to the state government, Prof. Danladi Atu gave the directive in a statement on Thursday in Jos.

He said the schools included pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the state.

Atu explained that the directive was part of measures to safeguard the lives of Plateau people.

He urged parents to promote the culture of personal and family hygiene, to curtail and prevent the spread of the disease.

Similarly, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), the commissioner for Health, Dr. Nimkong Ndam, has called on all school management in the state to provide water, soap and hand sanitizers in their various institutions as preventive measures for the virus.

He urged the management of schools to stress the importance of personal hygiene to children while urging the public to reduce handshaking, especially in churches.