By Asmau Ahmad
The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has given 132 people 48 hours to turn to the nearest state public health departments for violating the quarantine provisions of the COVID-19 guidelines.
The secretary of the government of the Federation (SGF) and president of the CPS on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said in a statement.
The 132 violators of the notice entered through Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
“Members of the public should be on the lookout,” he said, describing people as an immediate danger to health.
“They should therefore transport themselves safely to the nearest state public health services within 48 hours of this notification for immediate assessment and call the port health services of the Federal Ministry of Health on 08036134672 or 08032461990 for further instructions,” he said.
The steering committee issued a travel advisory on May 1, asking travelers arriving from India, Brazil and Turkey, or who had visited the countries within 14 days, following their trip to Nigeria, protocols including mandatory quarantine and testing at designated facilities upon arrival.
However, the committee observed that many travelers had violated the advisory, leading to the earlier announcement of 90 offenders as wanted on May 9.
Boss Mustapha, said the remaining 132 violators of the notice entered through Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
He advised members of the public to be on the lookout, describing people as an immediate health hazard.
“These precautionary measures are a necessary step to mitigate the risk of importing variants of concern and break the chain of transmission to the population.
“Under the new measures, passengers arriving from / or who have visited any of these three countries within 14 days prior to the visit to Nigeria, are required to follow the quarantine and testing protocols, arrival at designated facilities.
“They must therefore transport themselves safely to the nearest state public health services within 48 hours of this notification for immediate assessment and call the port health services of the Federal Ministry of Health on 08036134672 or 08032461990 for more information.
“The PSC will also have to take additional measures to sanction these offenders. These steps include: deactivating their travel passport for a period of at least one year; Cancellation of visas /permits of foreigners who abused Nigerian hospitality and prosecution under the Health Protection Regulations 2021.”
