Omicron variant: UK Parliament moves to scrap travel ban on Nigeria, others, mulls PCR tests for arrivals

Barely two days it vowed not to reverse its travel ban on Nigeria and some African countries over the detection of the Omicron variant on the territories, the United Kingdom Parliament has reportedly initiated moves aimed at rescinding the order, as it now seeks to replace it with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for arrivals from the affected countries.

According to reports from tabloids in the UK, the travel red list policy of the British Government which has seen countries like Nigeria and South Africa having travel bans imposed on them will be revisited following the backlash which has trailed its imposition.

Federal Government, through the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had, weekend, directed a retaliatory policy which also bars travellers from the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia from entering the country, as from Monday or Tuesday, this week in response to similar orders imposed by these countries over the Omicron variant.

The UK now mulls replacing the outright travel ban with the mandatory PCR test for the already fully-vaccinated travellers.

UK’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, had reportedly convinced his colleagues that the ban should be replaced with testing.

“The move is expected to be approved this week”, it was reported.

The British High Commission had on Sunday, December 13, vowed that UK would not reverse its travel ban on Nigeria because of a threat of retaliation by the Federal Government.

Spokesperson for the British High Commission, Dean Hurlock, said this in response to a statement by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, that the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia would be put on Nigeria’s travel ban on Tuesday.

Hurlock stated that UK had made it clear that travel abroad would be different this year, adding that the UK was sticking to its “standard background lines.”

“The UK Government propose sticking to our standard background lines on whether ‘x’ country will put us on the red list and avoid getting into hypothetical situations.

“The UK government has been clear that travel abroad will be different this year and countries may impose border measures at short notice in line with their own coronavirus policies.”

He added that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice was kept under constant review; and asked travellers to continue to check it for entry requirements of the destination they plan to visit.

“Travellers can also sign up for e-mail alerts on GOV.UK to get the latest updates as soon as they happen. We are in regular conversations with other countries about their travel policies,” Hurlock explained.

Speaking, Sunday, Aviation Minister, Sirika, said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will also put the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia on a no-fly list because of the Omicron variant’s breakout and expansion.

“If those countries put Nigeria on a blacklist,” the minister said, “then they have no moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial flights.”

Continuing, Sirika said: “Then there’s the case of Saudi Arabia, which placed Nigeria on a no-fly list. I attended a meeting with the COVID-19 task team on Sunday.

“We have expressed our dissatisfaction with it, and we have urged that Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina be included to the red list as well.”

“If they don’t let our folks into their nations, as they did to us, who are they going to pick from our country as airlines?”

“They are not permitted to enter. I am confident that in the next three days, on Monday or Tuesday, all of those nations will be included to COVID-19’s red list,” the minister stated.

He emphasized that the impacted countries’ airlines were still prohibited, and the countries were placed on Nigeria’s red list.

The minister apologised to Nigerians planning to visit such nations, but insisted that the Nigerian government’s move was in the country’s best interests.