2,000 Nigerians barred from flying abroad for dodging COVID-19 test

For dodging the Coronavirus Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at the country’s international airports, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has barred over 2,000 Nigerians and foreigners from flying abroad and into the country for a year.

Mukhtar Muhammad, the Presidential Steering Committee’s (PSC) National Incident Manager (NIM), revealed this at the PSC’s Monday briefing in Abuja.

Muhammad stated that the names of over 2,000 nationals and foreigners were pasted at all major federal medical facilities where medical professionals were assigned to provide care to Nigerians and foreigners who entered the country during the COVID-19 third wave.

He claimed that the government had mandated that travellers arriving in the country, particularly from high-risk countries, be quarantined in a government-run facility, and that those who did not follow the protocol had their passports revoked for a year.

“We added the provision of quarantine for travellers arriving from high-risk nations, and those who disobeyed these regulations were sanctioned by having their identities published and their passports suspended for a year.

“Let me assure you that we have released the names of more than 2,000 people who have eluded quarantine in our health facilities so far. And we’ve gone ahead and suspended their passports, so there are consequences for every action,” he said.

According to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), the PSC issued a Travel Advisory for Passengers Arriving in Nigeria from Brazil, India, and Turkey on May 1, 2021.

Leave A Comment