Omicron Variant: Doctors' Association Gives Advice To Nigerian Government Over Travel Ban

• The Nigerian government has been advised on appropriate measures to take in order to contain the importation of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 into the country
• The president of the Nigerian Medical Association said travel restrictions on countries due to the Omicron variant of the virus should not be instituted out of spite or political reasons
• Innocent Ujah urged the government to ensure that health protocols that meet with global standards are met by Nigeria in the containment of the disease

Following growing concerns on the spread of the newly discovered COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Thursday, December 9, called on the Nigerian government to impose a travel ban on all the countries posing risks of spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Daily Trust reports that the president of the NMA, Innocent Ujah, during a press conference in Abuja said government at all levels should be proactive in curbing the spread of the disease.

Read also

FG issues travel advice over festive period as Lagos vows clampdown

Ujah also said that the country should institute restrictions against nations that are a high risk to Nigeria's effort to curtail the disease spread.

According to Ujah, Nigeria needs to institute more rigorous and continuous surveillance of its health systems and ports to ensure that the virus is not further imported into the country.

He said such restrictions would also help ensure that international travel health standards are met by relevant agencies.

Ujah said such restrictions on countries by the FG should be based on clinical assessment and scientific evidence on cases detected so far.

Ujah said:

“If any country is found to pose a threat to Nigeria, its citizens should be restricted from coming in."

Vanguard reports that Ujam said Nigeria does not need to emulate countries that have slammed restrictions on her but those who have more Omicron variant cases.

Read also

Why Nigerian doctors are leaving country to other climes, NMA president makes stunning revelation

Ujah added:

"We don’t need to emulate some countries that are banning flights. It’s very sad that they make Africa the target."

"The argument most countries make is that we have a weak epidemiology system and we do not track the movement of variants."

Nigeria detects new cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading in Nigeria due to person-to-person contact.

This new trend was announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday, December 6.

The NCDC in its statement disclosed that three new cases were recorded on Tuesday, bringing the total number to six.

FG reacts to the British travel ban over Omicron, alleges most infected travellers from the UK

Also, on Sunday, December 5, the federal government ruled out the possibility of restricting foreign travellers from visiting Nigeria despite travel bans on the country by Canada, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Read also

FG strikes back, to restrict airlines from UK, Saudi Arabia in response to Omicron travel ban

This was just as the government stated that most of the in-bound passengers that tested positive for COVID-19 were from the UK.

The minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, made this disclosure during an interview on Sunday, December 5.

Source: Legit.ng