The Lagos State Government has warned incoming international passengers to obey the Federal Government’s COVID-19 guidelines or face the consequences.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the State Commissioners for Information and Health, Gbenga Omotoso and Akin Abayomi, respectively on Friday.
The statement partly read, “We have on good authority that some passengers having registered and paid for COVID-19 test have failed to report to assigned private laboratories after completion of their seven days isolation. Some incoming passengers even failed to register and pay for the test whilst making their journey to the country in total disregard and breach of the safety protocols.
“This is not only worrisome but portends danger for public health and safety as the populace stands the risk of infection from any asymptomatic positive case who perhaps is not aware of his/her status.
“We are definitely not going to fold our arms and watch the gains made by us against the disease to be reversed by the irresponsibility of some citizens who choose to flagrantly disregard our guidelines. This is why we are set to take action against people who flout these protocols.”
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Lagos is a major entry point in Nigeria with over 60% of incoming passenger traffic going through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The MMIA and other international airports in the country had been shut in March to curb the importation of the novel virus but the airports were reopened in September to foreign passenger traffic.
Part of the protocol list by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was mandatory test by arriving passengers but the PTF had observed in the past few months that many passengers shun the protocol thereby endangering public health.
