Don’t come for Christmas, FG tells Nigerians abroad

As people get ready for end of the year festivities, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has urged Nigerians abroad not to bother coming home or risk being stranded in the country should the government restrict international travels.

It also urged Nigerians not to embark on non-essential travels even as it warned them to be weary of end of the year festivities such as Christmas carols.

These resolutions were reached on Monday and passed on to the public by the Chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha; its national coordinator, Sani Aliyu; the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire; and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, at the weekly briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday.

Mustapaha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said, “We shall continue to remind Nigerians that all non-essential trips should be put off this December. This is for your safety and good health.”

Aliyu advised Nigerians in the Diaspora should not consider coming home, urging them to celebrate Christmas and New Year wherever they are.

He said, “Nigerians outside the country, hopefully they will stay where they are. And for Nigerians in-country, we will also stay where we are.”

The national coordinator said for every 1,000 passengers coming into the country, Nigeria would record 10 positive cases of COVID-19.

He added, “Please, for this period, if your travel is not essential, stay where you are. We are actively discouraging Nigerians abroad from coming home this Christmas because of COVID-19 and the number of infections we have outside the country.

“So, the message is; if you do not want to get stranded, if you do not want to bring COVID-19 to your elderly relatives in Nigeria, please stay where you are. There will be other holidays.”

Ihekweazu said Christmas carols, travels and other gatherings during festivities could blow the virus infection beyind manageable level and urged Nigerians to avoid them as much as possible.

He said, “This is really to re-emphasise the call by the PTF that many of the traditional meetings that we engage in at this time of the year, whether they are Christmas carols or festivals, trips, family gatherings, each of those could end up being a super spreader event. So, we must take this into consideration as we make our choices.”

Ihekweazu said a travel advisory had been issued detailing why both local and international travels must be avoided unless when absolutely necessary.