The Federal Government has directed aviation authorities to place 46 people who reportedly came into contact with an Ebola-affected person on a no-fly list for 21 days as part of measures to prevent the possible spread of the virus.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), disclosed this after a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to discuss the Ebola situation.
Keyamo said the list comprised 44 people who had contact with the affected person at a hospital after she developed symptoms, as well as two domestic staff members.
According to the minister, efforts are underway to isolate the individuals pending confirmation that they have not contracted the virus.
He said he had directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to immediately notify all domestic and international airlines of the development and ensure the implementation of the no-fly directive for the specified period.
The restriction, he explained, would cover 21 days, which he identified as the period within which Ebola symptoms are normally expected to manifest.
Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen Ebola response measures and surveillance across all international airports in the country.
He said the measures being implemented by FAAN include enhanced health screening, temperature checks, tracking of travellers’ movement history, digital health declarations and closer coordination among relevant agencies.
The minister added that the airport surveillance measures had been introduced following earlier regional outbreak alerts, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) involved in the response.
The latest directives form part of efforts by the federal authorities to monitor potentially exposed individuals and reduce the risk of the virus spreading through air travel.
However, Keyamo’s statement did not identify the affected person, specify where the reported exposure occurred or disclose whether any of the 46 contacts had tested positive for Ebola.
The 46 individuals were described as contacts under monitoring; their inclusion on the list does not, by itself, establish that they have contracted the virus.
