Nigeria tightens coronavirus entry formalities at Lagos airport

Nigeria airport officials are on high alert trying to contain any possible spread of the coronavirus as passengers arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

The airport health officials could be seen meticulously browsing through medical forms completed by passengers on Wednesday, with special interest on Chinese nationals aboard a Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Nigeria so far has recorded one case in late February when an Italian man tested positive. Authorities are continuing to trace all possible contacts.

This chat shows the distribution of international passengers to Nigeria. 70% land in Lagos while 4 major northern capitals: Kano, Kaduna Borno and Yola combined account for less than 10%. This is an indicator of investment and economic activities in the country. pic.twitter.com/5bt4osPrRr

— Bulama Bukarti (@bulamabukarti) March 3, 2020

“Governments should work very hard in prevention because this (COVID-19) has no any treatment, there is no vaccine, there is no medication, there’s no drug, so the prevention is the most important,” Molalegne Bitew, Ethiopian Airlines passenger said.

A Nigerian who arrived in Lagos aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight, said she was scared at the prospect of having to sit in a middle seat and asked to change her seat.

Ijeoma Nwachukwu told journalists: “Yeah at first it freaks me like; my seat today I was placed in the middle, I didn’t want to sit there so I have to change because of being scared of the virus, but mostly it’s God that protects. Avoiding? You don’t know how it comes.”

People have been urged to improve personal hygiene and avoid crowded places in light of the coronavirus but there’s little air travellers can do to avoiding close human contact.