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COVID-19: FG can’t afford free PCR test as 27,000 passengers arrive Lagos, Abuja airports in four weeks
By Favour L. Favour
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, has disclosed that the federal government cannot afford COVID-19 free test in private hospitals for passengers entering the country.
Aliyu stated this during a town hall webinar meeting on Saturday organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and hosted by the NIDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa after which a statement was issued by the NIDCOM spokesman, Abdul-Rahman Balogun and titled, ‘Over 27,000 passengers arrive Nigeria despite strict procedures,’.
Aliyu said over 27,000 passengers from abroad have arrived the country since the Lagos and Abuja Airports were re-opened on September 5.
The PTF coordinator explained that 18,000 passengers came in through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while 9,000 persons came in through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
He said the task force came up with what people considered as stringent procedures “because it was imperative to limit the importation of COVID-19 to Nigeria, prevent transmission during the flight and reduce the quarantine period.”
He told the Nigerians in the diaspora who participated in the webinar that public laboratories were not allowed to conduct free testing as the Federal Government cannot afford it, stressing that it was not sustainable.
“It is not something that government can afford; we will run out of test kits,” he said, adding that the government was trying to push the cost of PCR down for private laboratories who will in turn work within the travel sector line.
He added that the advantage of testing before boarding was to stop people with COVID-19 from coming to Nigeria as the test was expected to be done 120 hours maximum before boarding.
