TheCable

Ifedayo Adetifa, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says Nigeria has recorded over 18,000 positive cases of the COVID-19 from inbound travellers to Nigeria.

In a press statement on Saturday, Adetifa said the NCDC had mandated inbound travellers to get repeated tests upon arrival, adding that the decision is to protect the health of Nigerians.

“The decision to make repeat tests mandatory in Nigeria was based on the review of COVID-19 test positivity data among returnees to Nigeria during the first and subsequent waves of the pandemic,” Adetifa stated.

“This was necessary for ensuring a balance between our mandate to protect the health of Nigerians from more infections and supporting the restart of the economy, including international travel.

“As of January 16th, 2022, over 18,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded from inbound travellers to Nigeria. Therefore, the associated risk of disease transmission is not trivial.

“The Nigeria international travel portal was launched by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 formerly Presidential Task Force, with support from the Coalition Against COVID-19.

“Since the resumption of international flights post-COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria on September 5th, 2020, the portal remains an effective means of preventing the importation of COVID-19 via air travel which reduces the risk of further spread of the virus and its variants in the country.

“Since its launch, the NITP has been updated frequently over time, and more recently, there was an upgrade in October 2021 to enable a more user-friendly experience for travellers, laboratories, and other users.”

On Friday, Nigeria recorded 236 new COVID-19 infections across the country. According to NCDC, the cases were recorded in 10 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

With the latest figures, Nigeria has confirmed 251,930 infections and 225,906 recoveries with 3,124 deaths.