By Kuni Tyessi
In the face of the ravaging Corona Virus across the globe, and with eight confirmed cases in Nigeria, the Guild of Medical Directors has called for more vigilance especially at the nation’s airports.
The guild in statement by its president, Prof. Femi Dokun-Babalola, said testing should go beyond the usual temperature test and there should be a general warning that all travellers coming into the country must as a matter of necessity, self quarantine for at least two weeks.
He said this is because “it is possible and even likely, more cases of COVID 19 may have entered our shores un-detected.”
Emphasising that enhanced measures will go a long way in further protecting Nigerians from the ravages of the COVID 19 epidemic, he added that similar measures have been taken in Ghana, Sudan and South Africa, among other nations in Africa.
“In particular, it is our opinion that restrictions should be placed on flights coming from meso-endemic and hyper-endemic countries. Nigerians coming in from the UK in particular should ALL be tested beyond the usual temperature check, and advised to go on quarantine for fourteen days at home if negative.
“We suggest that Nigerians coming in from these countries should be quarantined for fourteen days as required by the WHO.
At the moment, several Europeans are streaming into the country only to embark on a journey to the USA by Delta airlines.
“We also believe that a more robust protocol should be introduced for the detection of cases including random tests in households where foreign trips have just been completed.”
At the moment, over 160,000 persons have been infected worldwide, of which over 6000 have died.
Three hundred of the infected cases are found in African countries, many of which are either returnees from countries with significant endemicity, or primary contacts of such returnees.
