Ahead of the resumption of international flights in the country, the Federal Government has vowed to sanction air passengers who fail to comply with the guidelines put in place to flatten the COVID-19 curve.
Speaking during a briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu said the government is committed to the safety and security of Nigerians.
Read Also: Breaking: FG Postpones Resumption Of International Flights To Sept 5
Aliyu stated that the PTF is working with relevant stakeholders in the aviation sector to ensure that Nigeria does not witness a fresh spike of infections.
He expressed that;
It is very likely we will put in place measures to enforce this by suspending travel up to six months or deny foreign travels altogether.
But beyond the sanctions, because as responsible citizens, we all want our country to continue to be COVID-19-free once we get on top of the pandemic, so, we expect the vast number of travellers to continue to comply with these simple, straightforward measures we are putting in place for the benefit of our country and for the health of our citizens.
Aliyu however warned that passengers entering the country must undergo the mandatory test to ascertain their COVID-19 status.
According to him, any passenger who exhibits any symptoms of coronavirus will not be granted access into the aircraft even after getting a medical report that indicates they are free from the virus.
The Coordinator stressed;
There will definitely be sanctions if they do not comply. Sanctions to the airlines if they allow passengers without a COVID-19 PCR result to board, they will be sanctioned on arrival in Nigeria, that is the airline.
For passengers that decline to do the test, at Day 7, we will still allow them after Day 14 to have a test done after which their details will be forwarded to Port Health, Immigration, and part of the security services.
Aliyu’s remarks come three days after the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the resumption of international flights has now been shifted from August 29 to September 5.
The Director-General of the NCAA, Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, revealed this during a Presidential Task Force COVID-19 briefing in Abuja.
He said while airlines and airports were ready to operate, other non-aviation logistics needed one-week extension to be ready.
