Nigeria scraps pre-departure COVID-19 tests for vaccinated travellers

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test, the Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced on Monday.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Federal Government, made the comment during a press briefing of the PSC in Abuja at which he announced a revision of Nigeria’s International Travel Protocols.

“The PSC has reviewed the situations around the world and applies such to the situation in Nigeria and have revised the International Travel Protocols, which should come into effect on 4 April 2022,” Mustapha said.

The reviewed protocols provide that in-bound (fully vaccinated) passengers arriving in Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 Test.

“On arrival, for fully vaccinated passengers, a sample will be taken at the airport for rapid antigen test by the NCDC within the arrival hall of the airport,” he added.

“Passengers who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated shall take a COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours before departure, or do a Day 2 and Day 7 test on arrival. Such passengers will be expected to pay for their PCR tests through the travel platform.”

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated passengers, Mustapha said, will be expected to pay for their PCR tests through the Federal Government’s travel platform, while fully vaccinated passengers will not be charged for rapid antigen tests at the airport.

So far, 255,103 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Nigeria including 3,142 people who have died of related infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Kola Tella