Nigerians travelling to Britain will, henceforth, be isolated for seven days on entry as the UK Government has yet to comprehensively review Nigeria’s vaccination certification programme.
This disclosure was made on Wednesday by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, made the disclosure on Tuesday at a briefing on the progress of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.
Shuaib said that the vaccines administered in Nigeria were approved by the UK Government, noting that the UK officials were also involved in the vaccination programme in Nigeria through the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA said the agency was optimistic that by the time Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination programme certification was assessed, it would be approved by the UK government.
“Nigeria’s status has not changed. Nigeria is not among the listed countries that need mandatory quarantine for 14 days in a supervised UK facility.
“The statement released by the UK Government is in line with the statement released last week that Nigerians will continue to isolate upon arrival to the UK. This is similar to our requirement to have travellers from the UK isolate for seven days upon arrival in Nigeria.
“The Presidential Steering Committee is in the process of reviewing these requirements. We have been in touch with the UK government. Just like they stated clearly in their communication, the current listing of countries with approved vaccination certification has just started in the UK.
“They are reviewing the country’s programmes in phases. If you go through the list of 50 closely, no African country made the list. Once it gets to our turn, we are more likely than not to get approved in the coming weeks. Like the UK government has clearly stated, the process of assessment would occur in phases,” he said.
He added that in recent weeks, the agency had intensified campaigns for the uptake of second dose using multiple media strategies, stakeholders, and community engagements.
