The Federal Government has disclosed that 193 out of the about 2,357 Nigerians evacuated from Ukraine and screened for COVID-19 have tested positive for the virus.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha announced the development Monday at the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID- 19 briefing.
Mustapha, who is the Chairman of the PSC, said the condition of the affected passengers was being managed according to the country’s protocol.
Over 8,000 Nigerian residents, mainly students who were living in Ukraine, were forced to disperse to Poland due to the ongoing military onslaught on Ukraine by Russia.
Meanwhile the federal government has said that in-bound (fully vaccinated) passengers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test.
Mustapha, who disclosed this, said the new policy followed the revision of the revision of the situations around the world and review of the International Travel Protocols, which comes into effect in Nigeria on April 4, 2022.
According to him, upon arriving in the country, fully vaccinated passengers will have their sample taken at the airport for rapid antigen test by the NCDC within the arrival hall of the airport.
Also, passengers who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated shall take a COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours before departure, or do a Day 2 and day 7 test on arrival.
Fully vaccinated passengers will not be charged for arrival rapid antigen tests at the airport. The rules that apply to fully vaccinated adults also apply to children aged 10 -18 years; they will not be required to have pre-arrival PCR tests but will have a sample taken at the arrival hall but not charged.
He urged caution that although there has been a consistent decline in number of cases around the world, COVID cases are predicted to rebound in China, South Korea, Germany, Vietnam, France and Hong Kong.
He said although over 20 million persons in Nigeria have been vaccinated with at least the first dose, the number was not very encouraging, hence, the need for all eligible Nigerians to come out and be vaccinated.