...Call for 14 days quarantine for all travelers
In the face of the ravaging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
across the globe, and with eight confirmed cases in Nigeria, the Guild of
Medical Directors has called for more vigilance especially at the country’s
airports.
The Guild in a statement issued by its President,
Prof. Femi Dokun-Babalola, said testing should go beyond the usual temperature
test, and that there should be a general warning that all travellers coming
into the country must as a matter of necessity, self-quarantine for at least
two weeks.
He said this is because "it is possible and
even likely that more cases of COVID 19 may have entered our shores
un-detected."
Emphasising that enhanced measures will go a long
way in further protecting Nigerians from the ravages of the COVID 19 pandemic,
he added that similar measures have been taken in Ghana, Sudan, South Africa
among other nations in Africa.
According to him, "In particular, it is our
opinion that restrictions should be placed on flights coming from meso-endemic
and hyper-endemic countries. Nigerians coming in from the United States in
particular should all be tested beyond the usual temperature check, and advised
to go on quarantine for 14 days at home if negative.
"We suggest that Nigerians coming in from
these countries should be quarantined for 14 days as required by the World
Health Organisation (WHO).
“At the moment, several Europeans are coming into
the country only to embark on a journey to the United States by Delta Airlines.
"We also believe that a more robust protocol
should be introduced for the detection of cases, including random tests in
households where foreign trips have just been completed."
At the moment, over 160,000 persons have been
infected worldwide, of which over 6,000 have died.
Three hundred of the infected cases are found in
African countries, many of which are either returnees from countries with
significant cases of the virus or primary contacts of such returnees.
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