Nigeria began easing COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, allowing citizens to venture back outdoors and reopen their businesses in Abuja city and the states of Lagos and Ogun.

The three regions have been under a 24-hour lockdown since March 30 in a bid to curb further spread of COVID-19, with the exception of food and health necessitated trips.

The West African country is one of 52 states on the continent that have reported cases of COVID-19, having registered more than 2,500 infections and 87 deaths.

Following the commencement of the gradual lifting of restrictions in the three regions, business owners began reopening their shops. The businesses are allowed to run so long as the owners adhere to the set social distancing guidelines.

Learning institutions and places of worship will however remain closed, as hotels and restaurants operate on a takeaway basis.

Like Nigeria, other African governments have also began easing lockdown measures as their economies took a hit from the impact of closing businesses.

Africa has reported a total of 44,483 infections and 1,801 fatalities, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many countries on the continent have now ramped up testing in a bid to better tackle COVID-19.