Nigeria Government Removes India From List of Restricted Countries

India has been removed from the list of flagged countries in view of the improved situation in that country

The Nigerian government has removed India from the list of restricted countries where inbound non-Nigerian passengers are temporarily banned from entering the country.

The chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on coronavirus pandemic, Boss Mustapha, announced this at its national briefing on Monday.

He said India was removed due to the improved situation in the country.

He said, “The need to review the protocol has become expedient to align with existing global protocols and realities.

“On this note, the PSC will adopt a sustainable model and policy that will be unveiled soon.

“To begin with, India has been removed from the list of flagged countries in view of the improved situation in that country,” he said.

The Nigerian government, on May 2, 2021, announced a temporary ban on non-Nigerian passengers who have been in Brazil, India, or Turkey within 14 days of intended arrival into Nigeria.

South Africa was also added to the list in June 2021 following an increase in COVID-19 cases and also the presence of delta variant which continues to wreak havoc around the world.

Nigerian passengers from these countries are also expected to fulfill some stringent conditions before they are allowed into the country.

 India

India’s daily case count has declined with the country reporting less than 40,000 new daily cases in the past month.

In early May, Indian hospitals and morgues were overwhelmed as the country reported more than 300,000 daily cases for more than 10 days straight.

Many families were left on their own to scramble for medicines and oxygen.

India has so far reported more than 33 million COVID-19 cases, second only to the United States of America (USA).

The country is also only the third in the world to record more than 440,000 deaths – behind the US and Brazil.

In a bid to prevent a third wave of the pandemic, the Indian government has administered more than 180 million doses of vaccines in August.

The government said it aims to vaccinate all eligible Indians by the end of 2021. It has so far given more than 700 million doses of the three approved jabs.