Nigeria will from Monday begin relaxing coronavirus lockdown measures in the capital, Abuja, and the biggest city, Lagos, in an attempt to limit the damage to Africa’s largest economy.

The government says the reopening is the first phase of a six-week process of easing the lockdown. It says the situation will be assessed in the next two weeks and, if things go well, the lockdown will be further relaxed.

Shops and markets will now open until mid-afternoon and it is hoped that some people will be able to return to work.

But a ban on public gatherings remains in place and a nationwide curfew from 20:00 local time (19:00GMT) to 06:00 has been imposed. Schools and places of worship will remain closed.

Wearing of face masks while in public has been made mandatory and people must adhere to social distancing rule and other safety measures. Interstate travels has been suspended except for essential workers.

The country has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus infections over the past week with the total confirmed cases standing at 2,558 and 87 deaths.

Lagos state in the south-west remains the epicentre of the pandemic, accounting for a total of 1,068 confirmed cases. Kano state in the north has recorded a total of 313 cases, while Abuja has 266 confirmed cases.