The Federal government has sanctioned the Passports of another set of 100 covid-19 test defaulters, as part of enforcement of the International Travel Protocols.
Recall that the Presidential Task Force (PTF) through NCAA had earlier sanctioned and suspended an airline for failure to comply with testing requirements and travel policies.
PTF had in December last year announced that it suspended passports of 100 Nigerians and that it was going to also publish the passport numbers for “flouting obligation you test within seven of arrival.”
A statement from the office of the Secretary to the government of the Federation (SGF) released on Tuesday, revealed the number of the passport numbers of the 100 defaulters and according to the statement, the names are going to be published in newspapers.
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It stated that while the government continues to explore infrastructure for setting up Rapid Antigen Test (RDT), the standard shall continue to be the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test performed 96 hours from the date of departure and a second PCR test on the 7th day after arrival.
It also vowed to continue to monitor compliance by all international airlines and approved laboratories and take necessary action on travel advisories for national interest and greater public safety.
The latest development followed a report that some passengers had violated the entry protocols, jumped quarantine, even as some failed to carryout post-arrival tests, as well as presenting fake testing results.
The National Coordinator of the PTF, Sani Aliyu said the government is taking the necessary steps to ensure timely prosecution of these passengers involved
“For the benefit of the public, let me reiterate the protocol for passengers arriving without PCR or those who obtained fake PCR results. These passengers will be tested on arrival immediately taken to a mandatory 7-day quarantine at designated hotels; at the expiry of which will have a second COVID-19 test using PCR.
” The Passengers will be responsible for all their hotel and laboratory bills as well as be liable to prosecution at the COVID-19 tribunal.
The PTF also warned that jumping Quarantine is a grave offence which is punishable by imprisonment, adding that ” PTF will not shirk from prosecuting any violators.
“Nigerians must try to comply with the provisions of our entry protocol because it is your own best interest. Remember that if you obtain a fake PCR result and conspire and connived your way through the airport, you will be at a very high risk of taking COVID-19 infection to home to infect your loved ones and the people in your community”
