United Kingdom has banned flights from Nigeria over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
Gatekeepers News reports that UK Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, made the announcement on Saturday, noting that the ban would take effect from Monday December 6th.
UK added Nigeria to its red list after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported two confirmed cases of the new variant of concern.
“Currently, the vast majority of cases in the UK have clear links to overseas travel from South Africa and Nigeria, and over the past week, 21 Omicron cases reported in England originate from Nigeria.
“A temporary travel ban will therefore be introduced for all non-UK and non-Irish citizens and residents who have been in Nigeria in the last 10 days, meaning they will be refused entry into the UK. This does not apply to those who have stayed airside and only transited through Nigeria while changing flights,” part of the statement made available read.
It stressed that: “Anyone arriving from Nigeria before 4am Monday [6 December] will be advised and strongly encouraged to isolate at home, and their household should also self-isolate for 10 days starting with their arrival in England.
“Affected individuals will be contacted and offered free PCR tests to be taken on day 8 after their arrival.”
Gatekeepers News reports that Omicron, which was first discovered in Belgium on November 27, has raised global concerns since it spread to South Africa, Australia, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States.
