ECOWAS Heads of State and Government had fixed the cost of COVID-19 testing, whether PCR or otherwise, at $50 at all Points of Entry with effect from May 17, 2021.
The Nigerian Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has said some returning foreign passengers have absconded from the country’s isolation centres, which is a violation of the mandatory quarantine requirement under the advisory earlier issued by Nigeria.
Though the Chairman of the PSC on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who confirmed this during a news briefing on Monday in Abuja did not give the number, a source at one of the centres in Nigeria told Platforms Africa that no less than 74 foreign passengers have absconded so far.
Commenting on this development, Mustapha said that his committee frowned on such act, adding that appropriate punishment would be meted out to anyone found culpable upon the completion of investigation.
He said: “The PSC has received reports of some returning foreign passengers who violated the mandatory quarantine requirement under the advisory by escaping from the facilities.
“We deprecate such violation of the laws of our land and our hospitality.
“The PSC is awaiting the report of ongoing investigations and we wish to assure Nigerians that appropriate sanctions would be imposed on the violators.”
Mustapha disclosed that the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government had fixed the cost of COVID-19 testing, whether PCR or otherwise, at $50 at all Points of Entry with effect from May 17, 2021.
This, he said, was to ease travel and trade among citizens of ECOWAS travelling within the region.
