‘Two COVID-19 Tests, Seven-Day Isolation’: FG Releases Guidelines For Travellers Arriving In Nigeria

The federal government on Sunday released a ‘provisional quarantine protocol’ for travellers arriving into Nigeria amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Nigeria, currently battling the pandemic’s second wave, crossed the 100,000-mark for COVID-19 infections late Sunday, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

With more cases expected to be imported from abroad, the federal government is seeking to tighten the nation’s borders.

The protocol, signed by Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), requires travellers to perform a COVID-19 test not more than four days before boarding their flight into Nigeria.

Travellers must also ensure to register via an online national travel portal (Nigeria International Travel Portal – https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng), where they are required to fill a questionnaire and pay for a second COVID-19 test to be carried out seven days after arriving in Nigeria.

Non-Nigerian travellers who flout any of the protocols will be refused entry into the country and returned to “the point of embarkation at a cost to the airline.”

Nigerians and holders of a permanent residence permit who do not comply will be subjected to “a mandatory quarantine of 8-14 days (depending on results of
COVID-19 PCR test done from Day-7 of arrival) at a facility approved by the government and at a cost to the passenger(s)/airline.”

On arrival in Nigeria, travellers are expected to self-isolate for seven days, during which they are expected “to avoid physical interaction with friends, family, colleagues, and other members of the public.”

Click Here To Download And Read The Full Protocol