Nigerian govt extends ban on international flights by one month

The Nigerian government will extend its embargo on both local and international flights by four weeks as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, a government official told reporters Wednesday.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, declared at a briefing by Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 that Thursday would mark the last day of the implementation of the current ban.

“Tomorrow marks the last day for the enforcement of the closure of Nigeria’s airspace to flights.

“We have assessed the situation in the aviation industry and have come to the conclusion that given the facts available to us and based on the advice of experts, the ban on all flights will be extended for an additional four weeks.”

Mr Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the task force, stated that the decision to prolong the ban was reached after due consultation with experts.

Hadi Sirika, the Aviation Minister, told the briefing there was a need to train airline staff in safety measures before flights restarted.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Plateau places 11 family members on supervised isolation

The Nigerian government had earlier extended the closure of its airspace and airport by two weeks on 20th April.

Lockdowns in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja were eased on Monday.

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