Omicron: FG places UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada on Red List

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika has disclosed that in reciprocation to the travel ban placed on Nigeria over the new covid-19 variant, Omicron by the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia, the Nigerian Government has placed these countries on its red list, and is consequently restricting incoming flights from these countries.

The UK had imposed travel restrictions on Nigeria, claiming that 21 cases of Omicron recorded in England were linked to travellers from Nigeria. The travel ban was trailed by global outrage, with some national and international stakeholders describing it as racist and discriminatory.

While Saudi Arabia had also imposed a temporary ban on flights from Nigeria over the increasing number of omicron variant cases, Canada on its part also banned travels from Nigeria and nine other African countries over omicron variant concerns.

Thus, Sirika speaking in Lagos on Sunday, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would also place the three countries on a red list over the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.

The minister noted that countries which placed Nigeria on a red list lacked a moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations.

“There is also the case of Saudi Arabia that put Nigeria on the ban list. On Sunday, I participated in a meeting with the COVID-19 task force”

“We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us and we recommended that those Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina also be put on the red list”

“As they did to us, if they do not allow our citizens into their countries; who are they coming, as airlines, to pick from our country?

“They are not supposed to come in. I am very sure in the next three days; Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19,” the minister said.

While apologising to Nigerians intending to travel to those countries, he said the Nigerian Government’s decision was in the interest of the country, stressing that airlines of the affected countries remained banned and the countries placed on Nigeria’s red list.

With reports of cases of new Omicron variant rising in the UK, some governments have taken measures to ban UK citizens from entering their countries.

Information from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in London, informs that countries like Australia, Falkland Islands, Indonesia Buhutan, China, Israel, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, and Suriname have imposed travel restrictions on the UK.

In addition, Malaysia and Taiwan have banned the entry of British travellers and foreign nationals from entry. Chinese authorities have also suspended all direct flights from the UK.

Last week, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing argued that UK’s placing of Nigeria on its red list was “science based”, whereas, the surge of Omicron cases in the UK has casted more doubt.

“I think I can say comfortably, it is not discriminatory. When the UK was the epicentre of the Alpha variant, we took some very tough measures ourselves to essentially cut ourselves off and we banned all but essential travels from the UK. So, that was a very tough decision for us”

“The UK has been red-listed in earlier stages of these variants; I think when the Delta variant took off, we were red-listed by Austria and by France and Turkey. We have not just red-listed, in the first, African countries. So, Pakistan was red-listed, Turkey was red-listed by the UK when we had our previous red-list. So, it is based on an individual deep-diving assessment of each country,” she said.