By Adedapo Adesanya
With the recent spate of coronavirus spreading around the world, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has advised passengers and other airport users to comply with all routine procedures and possible quarantine at the airports around the country.
In a statement signed by the Regional Manager, South West Airports, Mrs Victoria Shin-Aba, it was noted that airports have intensified the screening of inbound passengers following an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in China.
It was revealed that the current directive was aimed at protecting passengers and managing the risk of entry and in the country, adding that primary screening was ongoing at the points of entry at Lagos airport.
It was stated that passengers bound to enter the country will undergo temperature checks from airport officials. Also, the officials will look out for signs of communicable diseases such as skin rashes, persistent diarrhea, persistent cough or difficulty in breathing.
The statement said affected passengers will be referred to secondary screening.
In the latest reports, China’s National Health Commission said at least 26 people have died from the fast-spreading coronavirus and the total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 830.
Also, multiple cases of the virus have been confirmed in Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan, while the United States, Taiwan and Singapore have each reported one case. On Friday, South Korea and Japan both confirmed a second person has been infected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said at a press conference the outbreak did not yet constitute a global public health emergency.
“Make no mistake, this is, though, an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one,” said Mr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO.
He added the organization’s assessment is that “the outbreak is very high-risk in China, and high-risk regionally and globally.”
The virus, named the “2019-nCoV,” belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses, which can be transmitted from person to person and was first identified on December 31 in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province.
