SAN FRANCISCO, September 08, (THEWILL) – In this article, Jude Obafemi writes that Nigeria is allowing international flights to resume at Lagos and Abuja International Airports only after putting COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
The resumption of international flights into Nigeria post-COVID-19 restrictions kicked off with the first commercial scheduled flight entering Nigeria’s airspace operated by Middle-East Airlines, designated ME 571 from Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon. It touched ground Saturday at about 2:20 in the afternoon with a crew of 17 and 222 passengers.
This is coming exactly five months and 13 days to the day when the country placed a ban on international travel to and from Nigeria. In a public awareness drive, Mrs. Victoria Shina-Aba, the Regional Manager of the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), South-West spoke with journalists at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. In the statement, she disclosed that the airport, during the lockdown, processed 192 evacuations and special flights with about 1,404 cargo flights.
To do this and to ensure that COVID-19 protocols were adhered to, she relayed that measures had been put in place to boost the confidence of staff, travellers and help to curb the spread of the virus and prevent new infections. FAAN staff were on the ground regularly disinfecting objects touched by airport users and boarding was done in batches to ensure social distancing regulations are respected.
As part what is becoming the “new normal” in airport operations, she counselled passengers wishing to travel to arrive at the airport long before they are due to board to allow enough time to go through the processes. She said the different entry Gates had been demarcated and restricted to different categories of people.
“The first gate is for crew and staff only. The ‘B’ and ‘C’ gates are for passengers. We have another Gate for elderly and special people,” she explained. “At each of these Gates, we have water provided for passengers to wash their hands. We have Bag-Sanitising Stations where passengers get their bags sanitised. Then, the temperature of passengers is taken.”
“At the passenger gate, we have infra-red cameras that can capture many people at the same time. If you try to access the place without face masks, it will indicate that your face mask is not on,” Mrs Shina-Abe warned. “The security will not allow passengers without face masks in. We have signs everywhere telling people what to do.”
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She made sure to stress that any passengers with above-normal temperature readings or in any state of poor health will be asked to move to a place that has been provided for them to rest awhile before a second check on them in made after a few minutes for the sake of the passenger concerned and other airport users. Only when everything checks out the second time will the passenger be allowed to travel.
All these, the Regional Manager insisted were to ensure that health protocols were observed. She explained that the markings around the boarding and loading sections of the airport were for respecting social distancing and guidelines from the COVID-19 Task Force.
With respect to those arriving the country from elsewhere, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 issued a Provisional Quarantine Protocol on the 4th of September. It included details of what is expected of them Pre-Departure (Section A), On arrival in Nigeria (Section B) and Exit from Self-Isolation (Section C) and was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha who is the chairman of the Task Force.
As part of Section A, travellers arriving in Nigeria must have tested NEGATIVE for COVID-19 by the PCR test, taken preferably 72-96 hours before boarding (this Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test detect disease by looking for traces of the virus’ genetic material on a sample most often collected via a nose or throat swab). They are to register via an online national payment portal and pay for a second PCR test to be carried out on arrival in the country which will be carried out on the 7th day of their arrival at a laboratory of their choice from a select list of labs. On the forms they are required to fill, information and contact details must be provided to make for ease of tracing should it become necessary and passengers are required to inform health officials of any noticeable change in their health circumstances even after form submission.
Airlines are also mandated to board only passengers with NEGATIVE COVID-19 test results carried out within the stipulated 96-hour-period prior to boarding. No passenger with related coronavirus sign and symptoms must be allowed on-board. Failure to comply with these guidelines, the Task Force stressed, will attract a fine of $3,500 per defaulting passenger.
The B section of the Provisional Quarantine Protocol covered what all passengers and persons arriving in Nigeria will be required to do such as go through the health screening process while providing evidence of PCR tests taken and evidence of payment for the repeat test a week after, presenting passports for clearance and proceeding on a 7-day self-isolation-quarantined requirement during which time all physical interactions are to be avoided and social distancing practiced. Then, they are to present themselves for testing again after the 7-day period. Anyone who fails to partake in this repeat test after 14 days will face penalties such as the suspension of their passports or inclusion on a travel watch list for 6 months and denied foreign travel within that period.
Those who remain NEGATIVE will end their self-isolation while POSTIVE test results will mean such persons must be managed under National Guidelines for COVID-19 treatments.
Anyone who arrives with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 however, will not be allowed to self-isolate but will be placed in institutional quarantine already in existence.
The protocols went into effect on the 5th of September and has been the principle guiding the operation of international travel in the country since resumption.
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