… first set of evacuees from Dubai arrive Monday
There appears to be more trouble for stranded Nigerians set to be evacuated by the Federal Government as many hotels in Lagos and Abuja do not their facilities to be used as quarantine centres for the returnees.
The government said in order to prevent Nigerians abroad returning to the country from coming in with more coronavirus, it is making efforts to find quarantine centres approved by relevant authorities.
The Foreign AffairsbMinister, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said this at the briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday,
The minister regretted that many hotels in Lagos and Abuja prefer being empty than to be used as quarantine centres for Nigerians returning from overseas.
He explained that evacuation of Nigerians abroad would have started on Monday but for certain challenges that have made the process difficult.
Onyeama said one of the challenges is finding quarantine centres approved by medical authorities to monitor the evacuees.
He said: “We did not want a situation where people from outside coming in bring more positive cases and exacerbate what is already becoming the big challenge here.
“Most of the hotels do not want to get into a situation of being used as quarantine centres, notwithstanding the fact that they are all empty; but they, for some reason, seem to prefer to remain empty than to be places of quarantine.”
He said the ministry and the Lagos state government have been trying to find hotels that would volunteer to accommodate those coming into Lagos.
“They (Lagos state government) have also been facing the same major challenge in Lagos of finding people who, I mean, it’s all private enterprises willing to give up their hotels for this purpose.
“We have been able now to identify some hotels here in Abuja and also in Lagos.”
Onyeama said although some hotels have offered their services, they however want to be paid in advance.
Onyeama said although some hotels have offered their services, they however want to be paid in advance.
“These hotels want to be paid way in advance. Arrangement is that the passengers (Nigerian evacuees) will have to pay for them, and so that mechanism is something that we’ll have to work out,” he added.
Onyeama also said Nigerians in Dubai who were meant to be evacuated last week, will arrive the country on May 4, 2020.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has said that the sharp increase of COVID-19 positive cases in Kano State concentrated in seven municipal council areas and also about the ‘unexplained’ deaths were not out of the ordinary.
According to him, there is national concern about the sharp increase of COVID-19 positive cases in Kano concentrated in seven municipal council areas and also about certain so-called ‘unexplained’ deaths. The authorities have explained that the latter were not out of the ordinary.
The minister added advisories have also been issued for Muslims to stay protected during this Ramadan season, saying that risk communications has also been intensified as jingles in local languages on physical distancing and stigmatisation across all states are being aired in radio.
“The concern at these figures is understandable but not altogether unexpected. They are evidence of improved testing, but also stronger signs of community transmission.
” The highly propagated social measures like distancing and postponement of all non-essential travel have had only limited success.
“They must therefore also be a reminder that we need to redouble our efforts to comply with advisories, more especially as restrictions have been eased. Much more stringent compliance will be required.
“The Federal Ministry of Health, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is continuing with expansion of the molecular laboratory network, and collaboration with the private sector in this and other regards,” he said.
The minister also said Kano would soon receive a high-powered nine-man delegation from the ministry on a fact-finding mission which will also offer support to the COVID-19 response in the state.
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