The government of Canada has imposed flight restrictions on travellers coming from Nigeria to the north America country.
The ban is coming amid pervasive concern about the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant after two cases detected in the country were traced to Nigeria.
The decision to ban Nigeria was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The country had earlier announced a ban on South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia.
In the statement on Tuesday, it said it was extending the travel ban to Egypt, Nigeria, and Malawi.
“On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization classified B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern called Omicron. Since then it has been found in a number of countries and regions, including the confirmation of several travel-related cases in Canada,” the statement reads.
”That is why today, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, announced additional border measures to reduce the risk of the importation and transmission of COVID-19 and its variants in Canada related to international travel.
COVID-19: Nigeria Records Two Cases Of OMICRON Variant
“Based on data from ongoing surveillance efforts and the latest public health advice, the Government of Canada is expanding the list of countries with entry prohibitions originally announced on November 26, 2021, to include Egypt, Nigeria and Malawi.
“Effective tomorrow, foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada: Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe.”
