Thread by @toluogunlesi

The Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus (PTF-COVID19) has just concluded its inaugural meeting and announced a number of decisions:

PTF-COVID19 Decisions, March 17, 2020

— The general public is strongly advised to cancel or postpone all non-essential travel - whether business or pleasure - abroad, especially to “high-risk countries.” (Will list countries later in thread)

— ALL official travel by public officials and civil servants is hereby banned “until further notice.” Approvals previously granted for such travel are accordingly rescinded.

— Everyone traveling / returning to Nigeria from abroad is urged to strictly self-isolate for 14 days in their homes. @NCDCgov has today issued guidelines for self-isolation; these will be widely publicized.

— Everyone traveling / returning to Nigeria from countries with high Community Transmission Rates (esp countries with 1,000 cumulative cases and above) will be actively followed up for 14 days by the Health Authorities.

— @NigeriaGov urges the general public to maintain social distancing and avoid crowded places.

— @NigeriaGov will continue to follow all emerging scenarios and provide updates on a continuous basis.

All of these highlights are from a just-concluded Press Conference by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, who’s also the Chair of the Presidential Task Force on the Coronavirus (PTF-COVID19). The Task Force just concluded inaugural meeting.

Membership of the “Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus Disease.” (full name)

“High Risk countries” as listed by PTF-COVID19:

China
Iran
South Korea
Germany
Italy
USA
UK
Switzerland
Norway
Netherlands
Spain
France
Japan

UPDATE: The Presidential Task Force on the Coronavirus will be making some new announcements this morning. The Chair of the Task Force is addressing the press shortly. Details soon.

Breaking: Nigeria Announces Travel Entry Restrictions. Details to follow.

.@NigeriaGov is restricting entry into the country for travellers from the following countries: China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Switzerland — #PTFCOVID19

These are all countries with over 1,000 cases domestically.

.@NigeriaGov is temporarily suspending all visas issued to nationals from these countries. Nigerians arriving from these countries will be subjected to supervised isolation for 14 days.

.@NigeriaGov is also advising all Nigerians to avoid travel to these countries.

These restrictions will come into effect from Friday 20 March 2020, for 4 weeks, subject to review. #PTFCOVID19

UPDATE: @NigeriaGov announces suspension of Visa on Arrival until further notice. #COVID19 #CoronaVirus

To clarify, the Travel Restrictions announced by #PTFCOVID19, and outlined in this thread will take effect at midnight on Friday March 20, 2020. (ie the midnight between Friday and Saturday). #CoronaVirus

Reporter: Why is the #Covid19 travel restriction not taking immediate effect?

Minister of Information: There’s something called ‘Notices to Airmen.’ (NOTAM). Flight Restrictions like these require advance notice to airlines to allow them plan / make adjustments. #FECBrief