JUST IN: Lagos to quarantine Chinese returning to Nigeria over coronavirus

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it had reached an agreement with the China Embassy in Nigeria to quarantine all Chinese travelling back to Lagos from their country to prevent the outbreak of deadly coronavirus in the state. The government said it was putting adequate measures in place to combat possible outbreak of the […]

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it had reached an agreement with the China Embassy in Nigeria to quarantine all Chinese travelling back to Lagos from their country to prevent the outbreak of deadly coronavirus in the state.

The government said it was putting adequate measures in place to combat possible outbreak of the disease in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Heath, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the government was leaving nothing to chance to prevent outbreak of the disease in Lagos.

He disclosed that many people in China living in Lagos had travelled back to their country to celebrate the Chinese New Year and had not returned before the outbreak of coronavirus in their country.

He said anytime from now, many of them might be thinking of returning to Lagos for their businesses.

This, according to him, portends great risk of possible outbreak in Lagos.

Abayomi said the state government had met with the Chinese Embassy, adding that they agreed to send message to their people in China to stay back until the outbreak is curtailed before returning.

The commissioner said if some of them returned in the next few days, the state government had the instruction of the China Embassy to quarantine such Chinese for 14 days to see if they would present symptom of coronavirus in order to avoid spread of the disease.

Abayomi added that the government was doing everything possible to ensure that there is resilient and measures put in place to checkmate people’s entry into Lagos from outside the country, especially those coming affected countries.