Over being put on the banned list because of concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 version, Nigeria has questioned the UK’s travel bans.
On Monday, Nigeria’s special envoy to Britain, Sarafa Tunji Isola, told the Media that “whatever is required is a global approach, never limited.”
He further mirrored views expressed by the UN Secretary-General, who criticized limitations placed on several southern African nations as “cruel and inhumane.” “Oppression in traveling.”
At 04:00 GMT, the new regulations went into effect.
This implies that tourists traveling from Nigeria will be obliged to undergo hotel isolation and isolation for up to 10 days at their own cost.
Mr. Isola responded by telling the Morning show, “The traveling restriction is discriminatory in the notion that we are not fighting an outbreak.” “We are in the grip of an epidemic. When we face a difficulty, we must work together to overcome it.”
Conversely, Kit Malthouse, a UK government representative, stated the term “travel racism” was inappropriate. “Extremely offensive terminology.”
“We recognize the problems that these travel restrictions have brought, but now we’re thinking about getting some time so that our researchers can study the disease and determine how tough it will be,” he released a statement saying.
According to the UK’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, various nations gather information from various sources, making direct comparisons difficult. It said that the authorities would carefully consider the information.
Injustice and Wickedness
Nigeria was added to the UK’s red list for foreign travel on Monday, making it the 11th state to do so. All the countries presently on that list are African.
Only British or Irish citizens or UK citizens are permitted to enter Britain from some of these nations. They will be ordered to contribute and self-isolate at a public lodging for ten days.
The current restrictions have sparked outrage among Nigerians in the United Kingdom.
Olufemi Awokoya released a Statement saying that he was attempting to generate income for his wife’s isolation since she was expected to be back from a vacation to witness her mother’s funeral.
“She is now being penalized, and our family is suffering financially as a result. She works for the NHS and is triple-jabbed, and we can’t even afford our £2,280 ($3,024) accommodation charge “he stated.
“I believe the state’s policy… is evil, unjust, and imposes a significant financial hardship.”
Countries worldwide have implemented immigration restrictions from South Africa, Canada, and Hong Kong, including Nigeria. According to South Korea, travelers from Nigeria are also completely vaccinated against the Omicron strain.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres coined the word. “On Wednesday, he called travel restrictions “not just terribly unfair and punishing, but also ineffective,” addressing reporters in New York.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), blanket travel restrictions will not prevent the transmission of variations and may deter governments from disclosing and exchanging key information.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has also denounced the limits imposed on African nations, characterizing them as “cruel and inhumane” during a media briefing the other week, “Methods and tactics for immigrants.”
According to a British government responsible and accountable for ensuring Nigeria’s inclusion on the red list, “The “overwhelming majority” of Omicron variant cases in the United Kingdom “had demonstrable linkages to international travel from South Africa and Nigeria.” In the previous week, 21 Omicron cases were recorded in Britain “originating in Nigeria.”
According to the Nigerian capital Abuja’s Centre for Disease Control, the variation has only been found in three travelers who had a history of traveling to South Africa.
According to Johns Hopkins University statistics, the nation has registered 214,622 coronavirus cases since the epidemic started.
The new variety of Corona was discovered in November in South Africa. Little is known about it, but there are fears that it may be more transmissible, preliminary evidence indicating that it may circumvent part of our COVID-19 immunity.
Last Friday, WHO senior scientist Soumya Swaminathan predicted that Omicron might become the prevalent strain globally, but she warned that this is difficult to forecast and advised people not to worry.
According to Bloomberg, Eu Countries’ ministers would assemble on Tuesday to decide whether to modify travel bans in reaction to the outbreak of Omicron.
According to the channel, one of the solutions being discussed is a PCR test for non-EU citizens flying from affected countries, enabling travel prohibitions to be reduced or abolished.
However, EU sources told Reuters that no resolution to ease the sanctions was anticipated during the summit.