Few weeks after relaxing the COVID-19 protocols in the country, the Federal Government has hinted that inbound international passengers yet to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines would have to get their jab at the airport to forestall another outbreak of the disease.

This decision is coming as a result of an upsurge of the disease in other countries including China, Japan and the United States, coming majorly from the new COVID-19 Omicron sub-lineage variant XBB.1.5 and BF.7, which the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) insists was yet to be detected in Nigeria.

However, it will be recalled that the NCDC recently confirmed that in two weeks, 42 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the country between December 31, 2022 to January 13, 2023, out of which 29 cases were recorded between January 7 and 13.

The cases were recorded in Lagos, Edo, Kano, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, and the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking in Abuja, the Director Port Health Services, Geoffrey Okatubo, noted that in order to avoid importation of the disease, especially the new variants, henceforth all travellers arriving Nigeria must provide evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination.(New Telegraph)