The Federal Government on Wednesday issued a new protocol for the visitors and Nigerians abroad who are willing to return home.
The guidelines which was contained in a memo issued, and made available to KAFTAN Post, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said no visitor or Nigerian would be allowed into the country without the submission of pre-boarding PCR testing for COVID-19 in their countries of departure.
It said prior to boarding, they will be required to provide an undertaking that they will follow the necessary precaution and they will need to stay in Lagos or Abuja and make arrangement for their own accommodation in these two cities for the period of 14 days.
FG emphasised that the returnees must test negative for COVID 19 before they would be allowed to board the Nigeria-bound flight.
It said, “Passenger arriving/returning to Nigeria must have tested Negative for COVID-19 and PCR test must be within 2 weeks before departure and preferably not less than 5-days pre-boarding”.
FG maintained that if the test is done beyond 14 days, it will not be accepted.
“Tests done more than two weeks before departure are not valid and persons will not be allowed to board; but for the 5 days minimum, this is advisory and will not preclude boarding.”
It added, “upon arrival in Nigeria, passengers shall queue in an orderly manner and disembarkation will be done systematically and in batches to avoid overcrowding”.
The memo explained that except the holders of diplomatic passport, other “Passengers will be cleared through the Nigeria Immigration System’s Migrants Identification Data Analysis System (MIDAS) and their passports retained until after successful completion of the 14 days self-quarantine.”
While passengers are directed to provide their full and correct phone and contact address before exiting the airport, all passengers will now be followed up through a strict process of supervised isolation where they will be contacted on a regular basis every day and monitored for the presence of symptoms that might require them to be taken into treatment if they subsequently become positive.
“Persons who have completed the 14 days of self-isolation/quarantine will undergo an exit interview. Their details will be forwarded to the Nigeria Immigration Service for release of their passports,” the statement stated.
