Covid-19: Nigeria Restricts South African Travellers over Virulent Covid19 Delta Variant
- South Africans and people travelling from South Africa have been restricted from travelling to Nigeria
- Nigeria stated that only Nigerian residents, as well as permanent residents of Nigeria, will be the exception, however, with conditions
- Individuals permitted to enter the country will have to quarantine for seven days and take a Covid-19 test
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In a briefing on Monday, Nigeria stated that South Africa will be added to its 'red list' of countries and will be enforcing stringent restrictions on travellers from SA.
According to News24, the announcement comes after similar restrictions were imposed on India, Brazil and Turkey almost two months ago.
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The head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated that the decision was made due to concerns over the Delta variant, which is largely responsible for the coronavirus third wave, according to Reuters.
Because Nigeria has not found the Delta variant in the country yet, non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who have been to countries on the 'red list' within 14 days are restricted from entering Nigeria.
Passport holders and residents are mandated to undergo seven-day quarantine at the expense of the passenger in a government-approved facility. Passengers are also mandated to take a Covid-19 test 24 hours before or on arrival in Nigeria as well as after their seven-day quarantine.
It has been reported that Nigeria is anticipating the arrival of over three million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX scheme by August 2021, as well as over 29 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the African Union by September.
Covid-19 fears climb, experts predict 4th wave during SA local government elections
Briefly News reported that medical experts are warning of a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in the country by the time the October elections roll around. South Africa's Local Government Elections are scheduled for 27 October this year.
Health experts have warned that the elections should only go ahead if 80 per cent of high-risk individuals (aged 60 and above) are vaccinated against the virus.
People with underlying medical conditions or co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity are also at a high risk of infection. There are additional calls for a large majority of such people to also be vaccinated in earnest if a consistent decline in the mortality rate is to be recorded or observed.
According to TimesLive, the leading experts have formed the opinion that this might be a stretch too far given the current slow rate of South Africa's vaccination rollout.
Professor Shabir Madhi, who is a renowned vaccinologist at Wits University, and the head of the SA National Aids Council, Dr Fareed Abdullah, shared these views at the Moseneke inquiry, whose purpose is to conduct public hearings into whether the upcoming elections will be free and fair under the current lockdown regulations.
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Source: Briefly News
