….Urges thorough screening at air, seaports
As the scourge of Coronavirus continues spreading across the globe, the Senate Thursday ordered quarantining of passengers from China to Nigeria either through the air or seaports.
The upper legislative chamber also called for thorough screening of travellers from any part of the world into the country as a way of preventing any carrier of the deadly disease from entering the country.
Senate’s resolution to this effect was sequel to submissions made by the Deputy Senate Leader, Robert Ajayi Boroffice (APC Ondo North) on lack of preventive measures against the virus in Nigeria at all stages.
Senator Boroffice, who rose through Order 43 of the Senate’s Standing Rules to call the attention of the Senate to the looming danger of the virus entering Nigeria if required measures are not put in place, cited the examples of thorough screening he was subjected to, in South Africa and the make-belief-one he experienced in Nigeria few days back.
He said: “I was in South Africa on Friday last week. I came back Wednesday this week. Because of the issue of Coronavirus, every country in the world is taking preventive measures because the wisdom is that ‘prevention is better than cure’.”
“In South Africa, we were not allowed to leave the aircraft for good 30 minutes. Officers of the medical corps came into the aircraft and screened everybody before we were allowed out but when I arrived on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, there was no screening.
“All we were given is a sheet of paper to indicate whether we were sick and whether we have been to one country or the other and how we will be contacted if there is an emergency.”
