Nigerians stranded in foreign countries but who have tested positive to the deadly scourge, COVID-19 would no longer be evacuated.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeamamade the disclosure, on Wednesday, at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing.
Prior to yesterday new stance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs evacuated its citizens, indiscriminately only to move them into isolation centres for the mandatory 14 days.
Ambassador Onyeama said the government has since reviewed its guidelines and only those who test negative would be allowed to board a flight to return to the country.
He said: “There is going to be a change in protocols and that is going to affect their timing as regards further evacuation we are going to undertake. Essentially, we have a situation that we hope soon, we have to express our profound gratitude to Aliko Dangote and others in the private sector that have testing units put at the airport and the medical people. So anybody that is going to be evacuated first of all has to undergo test from the country that they are leaving from at least five days before travel and not later than nine days before travel.
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“That will be a precondition for boarding to come to Nigeria. So, we have approved flight test and so a positive report won’t be able to get on the flight. If you are negative, you will board.
Even in Abuja and Lagos, Aliko Dangote has a unit where they will take samples from the passengers coming. The big difference now is that the passengers won’t be able to go home they go into preferred hotel to self-isolate. .Those who are positive will be taken in first for isolation and those who are negative will then have to spend more days to beat the 14 days period after which they can come, collect their passport and go their ways. ”
The Foreign Affairs Minister also disclosed that the British Government has cancelled the initial flight arrangement between it and its Nigerian counterpart for the evacuation of Nigerian nationals in London.
Findings revealed that the British Airways which came to Nigeria to evacuate its citizens had assisted Nigeria to airlift its stranded nationals in London.
But speaking yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Minister said it would no longer be possible as the chattered aircraft contracted by the UK government has ruled out moving Nigerians from London.
“The UK aircraft that is chattering the flight has a contract not to carry any other national. So it won’t be possible. ”
Onyeama said his Ministry was already considering the involvement of a local carrier to move its citizens stranded in the UK and other foreign lands.
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