Yemisi Izuora
The total of 256 Nigerians who returned from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday are to proceed on a 14-day isolation as a precaution against COVID-19. However, the returnees, who were tested before boarding the flight in Dubai, all tested negative to COVID-19.
Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa made this disclosure on Wednesday.
The NIDCOM boss had taken to her verified Twitter handle where she posted a video of the returnees on arrival in Nigeria.
‘‘Welcome home! NCDC officials addressing stranded Nigerian returnees from Dubai. They will be proceeding to a location for compulsory isolation. All 256 tested negative for Covid-19 before boarding from Dubai,’’ she had tweeted.
The returnee Nigerians are expected to be quarantined for 14 days in select hotels beginning from today, Thursday May 7. This was disclosed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The quarantine is basically to ensure the COVID-19 status of every returnee is ascertained.
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that it had made arrangements for hotel accommodations; mainly in Lagos and Abuja, which will be used to quarantine the incoming citizens.
Also, it revealed that the hotels have been inspected by a number of government agencies. They include the Port Health Services, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Office of the National Security Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IPC.
