The Lagos State Government through its Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi says inbound international travellers and POIs coming from other countries into Lagos are being classified based on their originating countries into three; the Red countries, the Amber countries and the Green countries.
Professor Abayomi explained that India, Brazil and Turkey where new variants of Covid originated from and is rapidly increasing, are classified as the Red countries, while the Amber countries which consist of 14 nations are countries that are currently experiencing active community transmission of the new variants, which originated from the Red countries.
The fourteen countries that form the Amber countries according to him include Canada, USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
The State Commissioner made this known at a Press briefing organised by the Ministry of Health to highlight the Covid-19 third wave prevention strategy.
Professor Abayomi disclosed that ”the State government would closely monitor inbound flights from the Red and Amber Countries and set parameters for the management of POIs from those countries.”
He explained that ”the Green Countries are countries with no known variants of Covid or records of variants from Red Countries and no clear increase in the number of daily confirmed cases.”
Abayomi said: “Our protocol for the management of inbound passengers from the Red Countries will include; a mandatory PCR test 72 hours before departure, PCR test post-arrival and 14-day isolation in a government-approved facility paid for by the passenger.
”The POI from the Amber Countries are also required to do PCR test 72 hours before departure, PCR test post-arrival and a mandatory seven days isolation at home which will be monitored by our logistics, surveillance and EkoTELEMED teams.”
“The Federal Government has put very strict guidelines in place for people coming from India, Brazil and Turkey.
”These passengers coming in are to be mandatorily isolated at any of the accredited State isolation facilities at their own expense. They are to perform a Covid PCR test within 24 hours and continue isolation for seven days after which a second PCR test will be performed. If you are negative on the seventh day then you will be permitted to leave the State accredited isolation facility.
“For passengers returning from other counties, we are more relaxed, however, there are still restrictions, all of them still have to comply with the seven-day isolation but they can isolate at home where we will be monitoring them and ensure that they observe the mandatory seven-day isolation before they leave their home environment,” Professor Abayomi said.
The Commissioner noted that the Governor has recently passed into law the Lagos State Coronavirus Pandemic law, 2021, which gives the Governor the right to order a quarantine and allow for sanction for anyone who flouts the law.
He said; “According to section 11 of the new gazette of the Lagos State Coronavirus Pandemic law, 2021, the Governor has the right to order for a quarantine of a person or group of persons to be quarantined until it is safe for such quarantine order to be lifted in Lagos State.
”According to section 17 of the same law, if passengers break the quarantine rules, they may face a penalty of up to N300,000 and/or one-year imprisonment.
“We will deploy effective messaging and education via our various platforms, while we enforce all guidelines through the respective State agencies.”