Staff returning from overseas trip to observe self-quarantine

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Friday restricted all international flights into Nigeria to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The director-general of the agency, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said in a letter dated March 19 and addressed to airline operators that the directive was in line with the federal government’s ban on travellers from 13 COVID-19 endemic countries.

Nuhu said the directive would take effect from 12am on Saturday, March 21.

He said the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, would be closed to all international flights.

He stated that all persons arriving in Nigeria, who might have visited the countries affected by the travel ban 15 days prior to arrival, would be subjected to supervised self-quarantine and testing for 14 days.

“The travel restriction is applicable to all flight crew from the affected countries.

“All operators wishing to operate into Nigeria are required to operate with two sets of flight crew; one set to operate into Nigeria and one set to operate out of Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, NCAA directed its staff who travelled abroad recently to quarantine themselves for 14 days on their return to Nigeria.

Spokesman for the agency, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said in a statement that the advice became imperative in view of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the need for NCAA to protect its workforce from the disease.

He said the agency had also directed the compilation of details of staff already on any official assignments or training to a country where “there is community transmission of COVID-19.”

He said such list should be forwarded to the office of the director general and the general manager, aero medical standards.

The agency also suspended all pending inspections, trainings and various exchange programmes in involving foreign trips.

To complement all the steps taken so far, Adurogboye said NCAA had also put on hold the 2020 promotion exercise for staff slated for April 4.

“This postponement is in line with advice given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for organisations to avoid large gatherings as part of precautionary measures to curb spread of the virus,” he said