The Federal Government yesterday revised the international travel protocols for passengers coming into the country, especially with regards to their vaccination status.
According to the revised protocol, which is to take effect from Monday, April 4, 2022, fully vaccinated persons coming into the country will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test, while passengers who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will be required to take a COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours before departure, or do a day 2 and day 7 test on arrival.
Furthermore, the Government warned that regardless of declining cases, there still exists a threat of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections or new variants of the virus.
It, therefore, urged Nigerians not to let down their guards, and adhere strictly to preventive measures like regular hand washing with soap under flowing water, use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, proper wearing of face masks, practicing social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.
Speaking during the national briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, the Chairman, Boss Mustapha, said: “In-bound (fully vaccinated) passengers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test. On arrival, for fully vaccinated passengers, a sample will be taken at the airport for rapid antigen test by the NCDC within the arrival hall of the airport.
“Passengers who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated shall take a COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours before departure, or do a Day 2 and day 7 test on arrival. Such passengers will be expected to pay for their PCR tests through the travel platform Fully vaccinated passengers will not be charged for arrival rapid antigen tests at the airport.
“Rules that apply to fully vaccinated adults also apply to children aged 10 – 18 years; they will not be required to have pre-arrival PCR tests but will have a sample taken at the arrival hall but not charged;
“All passengers travelling out of Nigeria are encouraged to be fully vaccinated and to fully comply with COVID-19 protocols and requirements in their country of destination.”
He added: “There has been a consistent decline in the number of cases around the world but that does not give us the leverage to let our guards down yet because there are predictions of rebounds as we can see in China, South Korea, Germany, Vietnam, France, Hong Kong, etc. In fact, China has reintroduced lockdowns in some cities due to the spike in cases.
“The Port Health Services have so far screened about 2,357 Nigerians evacuated from Ukraine for COVID-19 out of the over 8,000 residents or students living in Ukraine. Out of these passengers, 193 tested positive to COVID-19 and are managed according to our protocols.
“The PSC also warns Nigerians to be mindful of Scammers specially in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, who come to assist them in accessing the NITP and in the process, register them as children to avoid paying post arrival tests.
“The PSC wishes to put Nigerians on notice that two major religious festivities (Easter and Sallah) are approaching and we shall be experiencing increased passenger traffic in and out of the country. While the PSC prepares to escalate surveillance and other control activities, we urge the States and all Nigerians to also increase their vigilance and take measures to moderate activities.”
In his address, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said: “Despite the declining attention to COVID-19, the pandemic is not over and the risk of new emerging variants is real. We already see that with omicron, we had what we thought was one lineage but now we have got sister lineages. The sister lineage is thought to be responsible for the surges that we are seeing elsewhere, and thought to be more transmissible than its brother – the original variant.
“Therefore, we would like to switch from response or panic mode to one of consolidation. This means that as we build back data, we keep an eye on this pandemic and prepare to ensure that we can respond appropriately or we can scale up our response as needed should the circumstances change.”
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the availability of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines to get vaccinated with one dose only, while also vaccinating their children against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dr Shuaib, who was represented by the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Agency, Dr. Bassey Okposen, said: “As of March 21, 2022, a total of 20,259,242 have received their first dose, while 11,031,267 have received their second dose. Five states: Nasarawa, Jigawa, Ogun, Kwara and FCT, have consistently given a high number of persons that have been vaccinated.
“However, Imo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states, have the least number of COVID-19 vaccination. They have vaccinated less than 5 per cent of eligible persons in their population.”