As Covid-19 Protocol Continues to Define International Travel from Nigeria

Chinedu Eze looks at the plan of the federal government to review its Coronavirus protocol in response to new spread of the virus and how it will affect air travel subsequently

There seems to be a lull in the drive for Nigerians to get vaccinated for the prevention of COVID-19 since the country recorded about 20 per cent coverage of the population.

However, since the virus has continued to spread in different parts of the world, Nigeria, whose citizens are known to be the greatest travellers on the continent, cannot be insulated for long.

THISDAY learnt that many Nigerians were not disposed to going for vaccination because of the myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines and even confirmed side-effects on some people administered with the vaccines, even though such has not been largely noticed in Nigeria. The fear of such side-effects has made some Nigerians vow they would never go for vaccination and there have been reports that unvaccinated persons have acquired the vaccination certificate, an illicit action that could injure the image of Nigeria at international circles.

Recently reports indicated that the federal government had directed that all travellers coming into the country would show evidence of COVID-19 vaccination.

Director of Port Health Services, Geoffrey Okatubo, disclosed this during a media briefing at the Ministry of Health on Monday, in Abuja and this was coming just a month after the federal government relaxed the COVID-19 regulations in December 2022.

However, Okatubo said pre-departure and post-arrival PCR test requirements for all persons who are not fully vaccinated have been suspended, adding that all passengers would not be required to upload evidence of vaccination on the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP).

“Port Health Services has resumed checks of passengers’ vaccination status and will provide traffic data on inbound passengers from all over the world. All international travellers arriving Nigeria are now to provide evidence of vaccination at point of entry and it was agreed that unvaccinated passengers arriving from other countries might have to be vaccinated at the airport.

“The Minister of Health also recently approved that port health services should meet with other stakeholders such as the NCDC, and the Ministry of Aviation over the use of rapid diagnostic testing at points of entry”, he said, adding that port health services had upgraded its surveillance at the country’s points of entry due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the United States, China and Japan.

Relaxing the Protocol

After enforcing stringent COVID-19 protocol for air travellers since 2020, in early December last year the federal government announced the review of travel protocol in response to the significant reduction in the global cases of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, an online medium reported that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which conveyed the relaxation of the protocol for air travellers to the sector, said the new review was sanctioned by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), which is headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.

The new protocol was relaxed, including the rule on the use of facemasks inside airport terminal buildings and onboard aircraft by airport workers, passengers, and crewmembers, saying it was no longer mandatory.

“Wearing of facemasks by passengers onboard aircraft or inside airport terminal buildings is discretionary but recommended,” the memo stated.

It, however, said persons aged 60 years and above, those who were immune compromised, and those with co-morbidities were advised to continue the use of facemasks, and should “wash their hands with water and soap, use hand alcohol-based sanitisers, and avoid large gatherings.

The NCAA also said disinfection of bags at the entrance of terminal buildings is no longer required.

Airlines are also directed to resume serving catering (meals and drinks) on board aircraft.

“Maintaining social distancing at airport terminal buildings is no longer mandatory. Facilities and conveyances are advised to maintain good environmental hygiene, good ventilation, encourage good hand and respiratory hygiene,” the memo further stated.

On PCR tests, NCAA said the PSC’s verdict on pre-departure and post-arrival COVID-19 PCR tests would be that all passengers irrespective of their vaccination status are no longer required to show such test results.

“PCR tests required for all passengers who are partially/not fully vaccinated have been suspended,” NCAA said in a statement.

Before the new protocol, a COVID-19 PCR test was required to be done within 48 hours of departure for all travellers. There was also a mandatory Day-2 Post-arrival COVID-19 PCR test for all travellers arriving in the country.

Partially vaccinated travellers and unvaccinated ones were also expected to self-isolate for seven days and a Day-7 post-arrival negative COVID-19 PCR test is required for exit from isolation.

The Controversy

Various controversies have trailed Nigeria’s COVID-19 protocol for international travellers. Many complained about the high cost of carrying out a PCR test even as other countries were already stepping down on protocols, including the countries that had very high record of the cases. But Nigeria was reluctant to relax its protocol till December last year and critics said that the COVID-19 tests and inspection became a new cash cow air travel.

However, with the new protocol, NCAA said all COVID-19 quarantine/travel requirements had become optional, but details of the new protocol indicated that permission to travel/QR code was no longer required.

NCAA said a simplified health questionnaire form (non- COVID-19 specific) should be completed by all passengers travelling to Nigeria, preferably pre-departure on the Nigerian International Travel Portal (NITP).

“Passengers who fail to fill the health questionnaire on the NITP pre-departure will be required to fill the health questionnaire either onboard the aircraft before landing or at the airport terminal building upon arrival,” the new protocol stated.

Statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 266,283 COVID-19 infections and 3,155 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Data also shows that as of 9 December, 59,867,077 of the total eligible persons have been fully vaccinated while 12,403,486 of the total eligible persons are partially vaccinated.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said 35 per cent of eligible persons in Nigeria are yet to receive a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Nigeria is 18.5 million eligible persons away from reaching the 70 per cent target population expected to be fully vaccinated by 31-Dec-2022,” it said.

A Port Health official at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, told THISDAY that the aforementioned protocol has been the guide for the screening of passengers since it was introduced in December last year and that “it is what government says that we follow.”

“We are guided by what the Presidential Steering Committee issues to us and travellers are guided by outbound and inbound conditions. In outbound, passengers are guided by the protocol of the countries they are travelling to; that is, their final destination and inbound passengers are guided by our own protocol. The Presidential Steering Committee has released the protocol and that is what we have been using,” he said.

Need for Vaccination

Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Uko, said there was indication that Nigeria would soon insist that travellers must present their COVID-19 certificate and urged that Nigerians should go and vaccinate.

“People have to go and vaccinate. Many Nigerians stopped going for vaccination when we attained the vaccination of 20 per cent of our population. One of these countries still spreading the virus would mess the world up; that’s why it is important everyone gets vaccinated. We have faced the challenge of HIV, Ebola, Yellow fever and we shall also overcome COVID-19,” he said.

Spread of COVID-19

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed worry over the rising number of COVID-19 related deaths in many countries of the world.

According to the WHO, more than 170,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the past eight weeks.

Speaking during a media briefing on global health issues on Tuesday, the Director General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the Emergency Committee on COVID-19 would meet this week to discuss whether the current situation still constituted a global emergency.

As at January 23, 2023, there have been 664,097,132 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,716,108 deaths, reported to WHO.

Ghebreyesus said: “Since the beginning of December, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 has been increasing. In total, in the past eight weeks, more than 170,000 people have died of COVID-19. That’s just reported deaths; the actual number of deaths is much higher.

Also earlier in January, The Washington Post reported that nearly a dozen countries have imposed entry restrictions on travelers from China as it battles a surge in Coronavirus infections that has raised alarm about the emergence of new variants and concerns about Beijing’s disclosure of information on the outbreak.

Japan said it would require negative coronavirus tests for all arrivals from China starting Sunday, joining the ranks of the United States, France, Spain, Italy, India, Israel, Australia, Canada and others in limiting visitors traveling from China.

European Union officials met to discuss a coordinated response. The E.U. presidency released a statement urging member states to require coronavirus testing within 48 hours of departure for those flying from China and to recommend masking on flights to and from China. Starting Thursday, South Korea will require all travelers from China to have a negative coronavirus test to board flights to the country. All arrivals from China must also undergo a PCR test within the first day of their arrival.

South Korea’s Health and Welfare Minister, Cho Kyoo-hong, said: “We must keep vigilant to prevent China’s spread of the coronavirus from affecting Korea.”

Morocco, on Saturday, banned all arrivals from China, regardless of nationality, in order to avoid a new wave of contaminations in Morocco and all its consequences.

China has repeatedly described such measures as having no scientific basis. At a regular news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, criticized the measure and called on countries not to use pandemic prevention as an excuse to engage in what she described as ‘political manipulation.’ She warned that her country would take corresponding measures.

“China also requires a negative coronavirus test for any arrivals, but will soon scrap a mandatory week-long quarantine”, The Washington Post reported on January 4, 2023.

Nigeria’s Reaction

The Group Managing Director/CEO, Finchglow Holding Limited, Bankole Bernard, told THISDAY on Wednesday that Nigeria should adopt proactive approach and subject inbound passengers, especially those from China to further checks around the airport. He said that some of the passengers could be fraudulent.

“Anybody coming from China must be subjected to checks around the airport because some of them could come in with fake vaccination documents,” he said.

A senior official in Port Health Services at the Lagos airport told THISDAY that Nigeria has been preparing to develop a new protocol against the upsurge in China since January 4 and had sent position paper to the Presidential Steering Committee, recommending new protocols for Abuja and Lagos airports where 70 per cent of outbound passengers travel from.

The Presidential Steering Committee had met with the Director of Port Health Services, Geoffrey Okatubo on this, who had made presentations and was included in one of the two technical committees with the plan to harmomise these two committees and develop up-to-date protocol on the handling of inbound passengers to all airlines, especially Qatar Airways that brings in most of the passengers from China. And the plan is that all the COVID-19 protocols would be activated for action.

“So we are waiting for review and until it is done we will continue to use the existing protocol,” he said.

Ghana Example

In Ghana, COVID-19 protocol stipulates that all international passengers including those from the ECOWAS region must complete a port health declaration form. All persons arriving in Ghana (citizens, residents, and visitors) who are fully vaccinated will be exempt from any form of testing done either prior to boarding from the originating country or on arrival in Ghana except passengers originating their journey from China.

“Passengers originating their journey from China will be required to present a valid negative covid-19 PCR test result in 48 hours prior to departure from the originating country. In addition, such passengers will be required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing on arrival at the Kotoka international airport at no cost.

According to the protocol, “Ghanaian citizens, permanent residents of Ghana, or non-Ghanaians, who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be required to present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test result within 48 hours prior to departure from the originating country. In addition, such passengers will be required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport at no cost. In addition to the above, passengers may be randomly selected and offered a test on arrival

“Non-Ghanaians traveling to Kotoka international airport with fake or forged vaccination certificates shall be quarantined and returned to point of embarkation at their own cost.

“Airlines that bring passengers to Kotoka international airport who are not fully vaccinated or passengers originating their journey from China without a valid negative covid-19 PCR test result 48 hours prior to the departure would be surcharged $3500.”