Federal government will bar passengers who fail to follow the country’s Covid-19 protocol from flying for six months, an official said on Monday.

Passengers returning to Nigeria are currently required to test for Covid-19 both before they board return flights and seven days after they arrive. They also must pay for the tests in advance.

Sani Aliyu, coordinator of Nigeria’s Covid-19 task force, said 60% of those who pre-paid for tests had failed to show up for them.

“These passengers will not be allowed to travel for a period of six months,” Aliyu said. “We hope that we do not need to do this and people will comply with our protocol.”

Task force chair Boss Mustapha said passengers had spent more than 220 million naira ($580,000) on tests that they did not take. Tests at accredited private labs cost roughly N50,000 ($130).

As of Monday, Nigeria had 66,383 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,167 deaths.

Reuters