COVID-19: Falana Tells FG To Impose Restrictions On Passengers From China

 

NIGERIA: Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana [SAN] has advised the Federal Government to impose restrictions on passengers arriving from China. He asked the Federal Government to emulate other countries that have been forced by the COVID-19 surge in the Country.

The United States will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travelers from China, Hong Kong or Macao. 

India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan are already taking new measures after Beijing's decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies.

He said, “It is public knowledge that there has been a COVID-19 surge in China in the last few weeks. The Chinese authorities have been reporting about 5,000 cases a day.  Some analysts have said that the crisis has been underreported by the Chinese Government.

“The development has compelled many countries to impose restrictions on passengers arriving from China. As usual, the FG has not adopted any measure to prevent the spread of the dangerous disease through travellers arriving in Nigeria from China.

“In view of the rickety health care delivery system in the country the FG should, as a matter of urgency, make it mandatory for passengers arriving Nigeria from China to produce a negative COVID-19 test taken not more than two days prior to departure.

“A stitch in time saves nine, as they say. The government should not wait until the nation’s healthcare is overwhelmed by the pandemic before taking the necessary scientific steps to prevent another upsurge of coronavirus infection”.