By Martin Cole-
Nigeria is to resume international flights into and out of the country on Saturday for the first time in five months.
West Africa’s most populous country suspended all air travel on March 23 to comply with restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
In a controversial move, Nigeria also said it would impose a fine of $3,500 against airlines that allow Covid-19 patients board planes into Nigeria. The plans impose a duty on airline to ensure no passengers travelling to the country has the virus- a not so practical duty to lay at the doorstep of any airline.
Scientists have long concluded that some individuals with Covid-19 are asymptomatic, and therefore show no signs of having the virus. The assumption which was not spelled out is that Nigeria expect airlines carrying passengers into the country to test all passengers before they board planes.
Director General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Captain Musa Nuhu made the announcement for daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid 19 inside Abuja on Thursday.
The government says the first four international flights into the country will be arriving in the federal capital, Abuja, and the commercial capital, Lagos. It has not been confirmed what countries the flights will be coming from.
Nigeria’s minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the resumption of international flights was justified after no in-flight infections occurred during the restart of domestic flights on July 8.
Protocols
Sirika said the resumption of flights comes will be accompanied with protocols to ensure the progress made in containing the virus is not comprised at airports.
Nigeria also plans to passengers to take a coronavirus test before their departure from the country, and pay for a second test on their arrival from abroad. Travellers who manage to skip the tests will be put on a travel watch list, the minister of aviation said.
Nigeria has suffered one of the least deaths from covid-19, with just 1,011 people dying from the virus. It has had 53, 317 cases, with 40, 726 patients who have recovered from the virus.