The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has released a revised travel protocol for international travellers arriving in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the PSC Chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, in a statement, on Friday in Abuja.
This protocol is a revision of the Travel Protocol released on 22nd October 2021
Highlights of the new travel protocol:
- Under the revised rules, COVID-19 PCR test to be done within 48hours of departure and Mandatory POST ARRIVAL DAY 2 PCR test for ALL travellers.
- On Pre-Boarding, they said, Travelers MUST perform a COVID-19 PCR test not more than 2 days (48 hours) before boarding/departure.
- PCR tests done more than 48 hours before departure are not valid and persons will not be allowed to board. Rapid antigen or antibody tests are not acceptable; only PCR tests can be used for this purpose.
- Test validity commences from the time of sample collection. For Travelers with multiple connections before arrival in Nigeria, the PCR test must be valid within 48 hours of boarding from the first point of departure.
- Travellers must bring along an electronic or hard copy of their negative COVID-19 PCR test for presentation at the departure airport and upon arrival in Nigeria.
- A record of their vaccination status will also be required on arrival in Nigeria.
- All intending Travelers (including diplomats and children less than 10 years old) MUSTegister via an online national travel portal (Nigeria International Travel Portal – https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng) and proceed to fill in the online Health Declaration/ Self-Reporting form located on the portal.
- Travelers must provide valid phone numbers, residential addresses, and functional e-mails where they can be contacted.
- For fully vaccinated Travelers, they will be requested to select their preferred Laboratory/Sample Collection Centre based on where they will be located 2 days after arrival in the country for the Day 2, while partially and unvaccinated travellers will be requested to select their preferred Laboratory/Sample Collection Centre based on where they will be self-isolating for the period of 7-days in Nigeria.
ON ARRIVAL IN NIGERIA:
All travellers are required to: Go through the routine Port Health screening and present electronic or print-out evidence of preboarding COVID-19 PCR test, Permit to Travel Certificate/QR Code; and Vaccination Certificate (where applicable); and
Present their international passports for clearance through the Nigerian Immigration Service System’s Migrants Identification Data Analysis System (MIDAS).
Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated in-bound Travelers are required to:
- Proceed on mandatory 7 days self-isolation/quarantine in their selected in-country destination address. Travellers are to avoid physical interaction with friends, family members, colleagues, and other members of the public during the period of self-isolation.
- Show-up at the laboratory/sample collection centres on the 2nd and 7th day of arrival. Samples will be taken, and a COVID-19 PCR test done. The selected private laboratory will send a reminder text message, email, or phone call to the traveller a day before the appointment date.
To read the rest of the guidelines, click here.
Recall Nairametrics reported earlier that the Singaporean Government activated a ban on travellers who have been in Nigeria within 14 days from entering the country due to fears of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
