The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Nigeria had five laboratories where citizens could get tested for the coronavirus (Covid-19) at no cost if they met the set criteria.

In a statement posted on its Twitter account, the centre said the laboratories were situated in the Lagos, Edo, FCT and Osun states.

"Any person who meets the national case definition for Covid-19 is tested at no cost in any of our five molecular laboratories," the NCDC said.

According to the disease control centre, the criteria applies to people showing symptoms of the virus, those with a travel history or transit through a high-risk country, close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 and exposure to a healthcare facility where an infection has been reported.

Nigeria reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, leading to a ban on travel by public servants to countries such as China, where Covid-19 first emerged, as well as Iran, South Korea, Germany, Italy, United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, France and Japan.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to eight.

Several states in Nigeria have subsequently banned large gatherings, while the federal government shut down National Youth Service Corps camps.