As the world’s attention shifts to the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, the Federal Government has urged Nigerians to be extra cautious and vigilant.
It also said that it will review Nigeria’s travel and other protocols to curtail the entry or spread of the disease.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said this yesterday in Abuja at the national briefing of the committee.
Mustapha said, “The world has been hit with a new COVID-19 Variant of Concern called Omicron as announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This variant is potentially dangerous and Nigerians and residents are required to exercise extra caution and vigilance in practice and enforcement of preventive measures.
“As the DG WHO stated today9Monday), the emergence of the highly-mutated Omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is. South Africa and Botswana should be thanked for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant, not penalised,” he said.
He said that the PSC was reviewing the situation around the world and putting in place measures to curtail the impact of the variant on the country and that the new travel protocols would cover travels, testing, enforcement, surveillance and risk communication.
The SGF also said that the impasse on the Nigeria-UAE flights had been resolved in the interest of both parties.
“A date for the commencement of flights between the two countries will be announced in due course,” he said.
