Omicron Travel Ban: FG will Prohibit Airlines From UK Canada, And Saudi Arabia
From Tuesday, December 14, the federal government will impose restrictions on airlines flying into Nigeria from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia.
Touchaheart Nigeria reports that Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, told reporters in Lagos that the move was in response to the omicron travel ban imposed on the country because of the latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, according to Sirika, will put the three countries on a no-fly list due to the outbreak and spread of the Omicron form.
Following incidents of the Omicron COVID-19 variant reported in Nigeria, the UK placed Nigeria on its redlist and announced that non-UK and non-Irish citizens traveling in from Nigeria would not be allowed entrance. Like UK.
Saudi Arabia and Canada also announced travel bans on Nigeria following the discovery of the Omicron variant in Nigeria.
Sirika argued that these countries do not have these countries cannot be allowed to fly to Nigeria when they placed a ban on Nigeria.
FG to restrict airlines from UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia in response to Omicron travel ban
“There is also the case of Saudi Arabia that put Nigeria on the ban list. On Sunday, I participated in a meeting with the COVID-19 task force,” NAN quoted the minister as saying:
We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us, and we recommended that those Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina also be put on the red list.
As they did to us if they do not allow our citizens into their countries; who are they coming, as airlines, to pick from our country?
They are not supposed to come in. I am very sure in the next three days; Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19.”
He emphasized that the impacted countries’ airlines were still prohibited, and the countries were placed on Nigeria’s red list.
The Minister expressed regret to Nigerians planning to go to certain nations, but stated that the Nigerian government’s decision was made in the country’s best interests.
