On March 18, 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced five new cases of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disease bringing the cases of the virus in Nigeria to a total of eight confirmed cases. There have been near misses with two suspected cases: an Indian nationality and the case from Enugu, who both tested negative for the COVID-19 virus.
HOW
In a bid to control the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Nigeria, the Federal Government inaugurated a Presidential Task Force, on Tuesday 17, 2020. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, who inaugurated the 11-member Task Force, said its composition by President Muhammadu Buhari was necessitated by monitoring of developments around the world on the outbreak of the contagion. The force has already begun to set rules to prevent further spread of the disease.
Travel Restrictions and Visa Suspension
The Presidential Task Force on March 18, 2020, announced entry restrictions into Nigeria for 13 high-risk countries. These are countries with over 1,000 cases domestically. The government will restrict entry for travellers from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Switzerland. Nigerians coming from these countries will be subjected to 14 days of isolation. There will also be a temporary suspension of all visas issued to citizens or travellers from these 13 listed countries. This will take effect from midnight Friday, March 20, 2020. Nigerians are advised to refrain from travelling outside the country. And public and government officials have been banned from foreign travels.
NYSC Camp Closing
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) announced that all its orientation camps will be closed till further notice from the DG, and the Youth Corps members will be paid their allocations and sent to their places of primary assignment (PPA). This was done as a precautionary method to checkmate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Airport Screening
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has intensified screenings at airports. Travellers who arrive from overseas will go through primary and secondary screening. Primary screening is ongoing at the points of entry at Lagos airport. This includes temperature checks and lookouts for signs of communicable diseases such as skin rashes, persistent diarrhoea, persistent cough or difficulty in breathing. Any passenger who exhibits such symptoms, or high temperature, will be referred for secondary screening.
Self-Isolation
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) encourages anyone returning from any country to self-isolate for 14 days. It also those returning from high-risk countries (over 1000 cases cumulatively) will be actively followed up for 14 days by the NCDC and Port Health Services. The NCDC also released a self-isolation guideline for Nigerians which details what self-isolation means, who should self-isolate, how to commute if arriving from a foreign country and how to effectively self-isolate whether living alone or with other people.
The government is taking precautions to ensure it doesn’t become a widespread epidemic. All information concerning COVID-19 in Nigeria is always updated by the NCDC and the Lagos State Ministry of Health.