Nigeria may relax interstate travel ban on June 21
London, June 4, 2020 (AltAfrica)-Nigerian Government may remove the restriction on interstate travels on June 21, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Sani Aliyu said.
The interstate borders have been closed since March to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
But Aliyu said the restrictions may be relaxed when domestic flights resume tentatively on June 21.
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“When we say from June 21, we mean that we are preparing the aviation sector towards that date,” Aliyu said.
“That date may not necessarily be June 21; it could be June 26, 28, or even July 1,” he said adding that “Once we open up the skies to domestic flights, then we would have to review the arrangements regarding interstate travel because you cannot have a ban on interstate travel and you have people flying from one state to another
Nigerian Government on Monday reduced curfew by 4 hours while it also gave guidelines for the reopening religious centres.
Also, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said that the date for resumption of international flights would soon be released.
The minister said industry stakeholders should start developing protocols towards flight resumption.
“The aircraft has been parked for three months, we have to ensure that within now and that time, these airplanes are good and safe to fly,” he said.
He also explained that pilots and other members of the cabin crew would be required to undergo medicals and have their licenses renewed ahead of the planned resumption.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Wednesday, announced 348 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 11,166.
One death was recorded from the virus on Wednesday bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 315.
In the past weeks, the number of infections and deaths in the country has been fluctuating. The number of recovered and discharged patients from the virus is, however, increasing daily.
Lagos State remains the epicentre of the disease in the country.
