Nigerians run for their dear life, as they stop patronizing Chinese restaurants in Lagos due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in Lagos.
Managers of the business who speak to exclusive Sahara reporter said that patronage had dropped after the confirmation of Coronavirusirus in Lagos on Friday morning by the Ministry of Health.
An Italian nationals who brought the virus into Nigeria was said to have entered the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on February 24 aboard a Turkish Airline flight.
Manager of Zen Garden, a popular Chinese restaurant on Isaac John, a highbrow area of Ikeja, Moses Yakubu, told SaharaReporters that patronage has significantly dropped since the disease broke out in China in early January 2020.
“Today is Friday but the patronage is not like before, it has dropped so badly.
“We have been taking precautions since the disease broke out.
“We have hand sanitisers everywhere. My staff also make sure they disinfect their hands before and after attending to customers.”
In another restaurant visited by our correspondent, there was no single customer when SaharaReporters arrived at the place.
“It is the same even in China. Shops are closing down,” the owner said, adding that the low patronage was expected.
Chinese not allowed in New China
In the bid to alleviate the fears of Nigerians, who are majority of those patronising the cuisine operators, some restaurants are taking drastic measures.
Manager of New China Restaurant said nationals from China had been restricted from patronising them.
“Since the outbreak, we have stopped Chinese people from coming in here,” said the manager, who introduced himself as Paul Balogun.
On a Friday evening, peak hour for restaurants and hangout spots in Lagos, one of the workers was reading a newspaper at a corner. There was no customer to attend to.
The Lagos State Government tested some Chinese citizens for the virus earlier this week but they all tested negative for the virus.
Staff retrenched over Coronavirus
Balogun said the management had to let go of workers as sales had drastically dropped.
“Some of my staff have been sacked. Some of them have been placed on compulsory leave. We are only five left here,” he told SaharaReporters.
Be the first to comment