The state government responsible for Nigeria’s most crowded city, Lagos, has suspended indefinitely the planned reopening of mosques and churches this weekend as a result of a rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

Nigeria now has over 16,600 cases, almost half of them in Lagos State.

The lockdown in the capital Abuja, Lagos State and Ogun State had been in effect since March, but two weeks ago the authorities announced plans to reopen religious buildings and hotels.

Testing has increased to almost 100,000 samples in a population of about 195 million people.

The easing of restrictions is due to go ahead as planned in the rest of the country.