PTF Raises Alarm, Says Some International Travellers Presenting Fake COVID-19 Results

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has raised the alarm that international travellers from some specific countries, who are COVID-19 positive, have been making their way into the country by presenting fake PCR results.

The National Coordinator of the task force, Dr Sani Aliyu, disclosed this on Tuesday, in response to the joint Senate committees on Health and Aviation on the testing procedures, following the reopening of the international airspace.

According to him, in one instance, up to 40 per cent of passengers in a single flight tested positive for COVID-19 despite having tested negative before boarding from their respective countries.

Consequently, Aliya said an adjustment has been made to the validity period of PCR tests to be presented before boarding from seven to four days.

On its part, the Senate said it is worried about the low number of laboratories in the country. They, however, promised that the request for 52 labs will be made in the 2021 budget.

After about five months of being on lockdown due to the pandemic, International flights resumed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Saturday.

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The first flight arrived from Lebanon, at about 2:30 pm and passengers did not disembark in the usual way.

They went through the finger and they were batched in twenties to the port of entry, in line with the Federal Government’s COVID-19 protocols.

Nigeria has currently recorded 56,388 cases of the coronavirus while 1,083 persons have unfortunately died from the virus.