Ebola: Nigeria Rule Outright Ban Of Flights From Liberia

Following the fresh outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has stated that the agency has no plan to ban flights from the country. 

The NCAA’s General Manager (Public Affairs), Fan Ndubuoke, made this known on Friday June 10 while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

A new case of the virus resurfaces  in Liberia barely two months after the West African country was declared free of the virus by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

It is was learnt that the Liberian authorities place at least 100 people on close monitoring as they were thought to have been in contact with a 17-year-old boy, Abraham Memaigar, who died on June 28 in Margibi County, Liberia.

READ ALSO: Ebola in Liberia: FG Warns Health Ministry To Be On High Alert

It was gathered that Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,  is on high alert following the new case of Ebola as health officials were seen screening  both inbound and outbound passengers  for the virus .

Ndubuoke noted that Ebola Prevention and Control was a collaborative effort by the NCAA, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the FAAN, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Port Health Services.

He added that rather than banning the airlines, the various agencies have intensified necessary preventive measures at all the international airports in the country.

Ndubuoke said : “I am not aware of any move to ban any Liberian airline from coming into the country.Last year, we were the ones that banned AskAir when we knew that the airline brought in Mr. Patrick Sawyer. We stopped the airline from operating in our country.”

READ ALSO: New Ebola Outbreak In Liberia 

The NCAA official explained that  adequate facilities were in place at the Port Health Office where inbound and outbound passengers were adequately screened.

He assured Nigerians that nobody would be allowed into the country who refuses to be screened for the virus.

It was be recalled that the first case of Ebola in Nigeria was linked to a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who arrived the country from  Liberia for conference at Calabar, Cross Rivers state.

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