Effective from January 1st, 2021, passports of the first one hundred
passengers that have failed to take their post-arrival COVID-19 test
will be published in the national dailies and suspended till June 2021.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss
Mustapha made the announcement in Abuja on Tuesday during a briefing.
Mustapha, also, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),
said that the names of the passengers would be published on Jan. 1,
2021, while the suspension of the passports would last for six months.
He also revealed that there are some additional quarantine protocols to
be observed by travelers arriving from the UK and South Africa.
The new protocols according to the task force who already predict that
January 2021 will be a tough month, is to minimize the possibility of
virus importation into the country.
The SGF lamented the difficulties experienced in the national response,
noting that the nation’s response is passing through a challenging phase
due to the seriousness of the second wave of infections in Nigeria.
“Week 52 has so far given us the highest number of infections in a
single week to date. Our analysis shows that 16 out of every 100 tests
carried out are positive.
“We are also seeing increasing transmission among younger people and
this is not considered good and safe. We must, therefore, exercise
utmost restraint by taking responsibility,” he said.
Mustapha said that the PTF had discussed two critical issues, Oxygen
supply, and Case Management, and during the conversation with health
authorities, CMDs of Federal Tertiary Institutions in Abuja, National
Hospital; Jabi & Gwagwalada, the PTF directed that the level of
Infections, Prevention and Control, as well as case management, should
be prioritized immediately.
“With the increasing number of infections and hospitalization, our
objectives are to ensure that infection, prevention, and control (IPC)
is properly instituted to minimize spread and exposure of health care
workers to the virus;
“Ensure that those who require hospitalization are well managed; those
requiring medical attention for other ailments gain access to Treatment
at medical facilities; and critical care is available and deployed,
especially where oxygen is needed.
“The situation in Abuja and its environs has been of concern to the
PTF,” the SGF stated.