Pascal Arogorn Ibe
There were strong indications on Sunday that relevant state governments and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control were not enforcing the 14-day self -isolation for inbound international travellers .
The PUNCH gathered that no official of the NCDC or the concerned state governments was attached to the new arrivals, who were expected to be in isolation in their homes for 14 days.
The Federal Government on February 9 placed travel restrictions on 100 passengers for failing to comply with the mandatory Day 7 post- arrival COVID -19 test.
Government had in January placed similar travel restrictions on 100 travellers who failed to undergo the compulsory COVID -19 test after returning into the country.
But besides failing to turn up for the test, investigations by our correspondents revealed that many travellers had not been observing the 14- day self -isolation.
Many inbound international travellers, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, stated that they shunned self – isolation.
An information and communications technology , who came back from Canada two weeks ago told one of our correspondents that unlike in Canada, where somebody would be asked to keep a close watch on an international passenger , nobody checked whether he was observing self -isolation or not .
He stated , “ Nobody monitored me. , I went out on the fifth day , but I ensured that I used my face mask . I will advise relevant government agencies to enforce compliance with 14-day self – isolation . ”
Another passenger , who arrived from the United States last month, confided in The PUNCH , that he was in isolation for only five days and started going out on the sixth day.
“ There is no enforcement of self -isolation . Everybody is on his own . I only stayed at home for five days, ” he stated .
A resident of Enugu, the Enugu State capital , in an interview with The PUNCH , said his cousin flew in from New York in December and headed to Enugu from Lagos for a burial .
“ He did not go into isolation either in Lagos or Enugu . He was just mixing freely with people without using a face mask , ” the Enugu resident stated.
(The Punch)
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