As part of its response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, the Federal Government, today, announced that it has shut down three international airports to curb the spread of the disease.
The affected airports are Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano; Akanu Obiam Airport, Enugu; and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
In a report by The Guardian online, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Nuhu, in a statement, said Kano, Rivers and Enugu international airports will be closed till further notice effective Saturday March 21, 2020.
It was further reported that the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, will be the only operational international airports in the country, but no flight will be allowed from the 13 coronavirus high-risk countries.
The banned countries include – the United States of America, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Iran, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy and Spain.
In another development, the Federal Government has added Sweden and Austria to the restricted countries, bring the number high-risk countries restricted from entering Nigeria over coronavirus pandemic to 15.
This was announced by the Minister of Health, Dt. Osagie Ehanire, at a press briefing today im Abuja.