The Federal Government has banned 2,000 Nigerian nationals and foreigners for one year for evading the Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR test at the airports in the country.
The National Incident Manager of the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, PSC, Mukhtar Muhammad made this known on Monday at the national briefing on the pandemic.
Also Read: Nigeria to receive over 1 million J&J Covid-19 doses monthly
Muhammad said that the over 2,000 citizens’ and foreigners’ names have been published at all major federal medical facilities where medical experts were assigned to give care to Nigerians and foreigners that had travelled into the country during COVID-19 third waves.
He said the government has insisted that passengers who arrive the country, especially from high risk countries must quarantine in a facility provided by the government.
He said the passports of those who failed to follow the protocol have been suspended for one year.
PSC had on May 1, 2021, issued Travel Advisory for Passengers arriving in Nigeria from Brazil, India and Turkey.
According to the PSC Chairman, the measures were put in place to mitigate the risk of importation of variants of concern into the country.
Under the measures, passengers arriving from these 3 countries are required to follow mandatory arrival quarantine and testing protocols in designated facilities.
However, some passengers failed to observe the compulsory isolation or to present themselves for the PCR repeat test on day seven.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)