Anthony Iwuoma
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Thursday, blamed government’s initial policy, allowing returnee Nigerians to self-isolate as a measure to curb the deadly Coronavirus pandemic for increased spread of the virus.
Speaking during the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing, the minister announced that a new measure has been adopted whereby returnees are now quarantined on arrival for 14 days.
Said he, “We don’t have a provision for isolation at home. At the very beginning, we had that provision that if you came in and did not have a symptom, you isolate at home.
“Since then, all the cases we are dealing with now came in and multiplied. In order to reduce the incidence of cases coming in and then forming clusters of new infections, the provision has now changed to what we call isolation-one or quarantine.
“The policy we have now is that anybody arriving Nigeria from anywhere whether by air, land or by sea will go into quarantine for 14 days.
“Quarantine is for those who have not been confirmed or who are under isolation. If during the period, signs and symptoms show up, they will be tested.
“If they are positive they will go to treatment centres. If after 14 days they show no symptoms or signs and they are tested and are negative, they are free to go. That is the protocol we have now,” Dr. Ehanire said.