By Gboyega Adeoye
In the wake of the seemingly unrestrained spread of the deadly Corona Virus which broke out in China and continues to wreak havoc in Asia, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is advising passengers and other airport users to comply with all quarantine procedures at the nation’s gateways.
This is just as FAAN, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, have confirmed the adequacy of facilities to prevent the importation of the virus through the airports.
Passengers inbound at all the nations international gateways have been advised to submit themselves for routine quarantine checks whenever they are asked to.
FAAN has put a high priority on ensuring that this virus is prevented from spreading into the country.
It was gathered that isolation units and other equipment and personnel used in combating the deadly Ebola virus in 2014 are still in place at the airports.
In a statement, FAAN General Manager Corporate Communication, Henrietta Yakubu, said the agency has always had thermal scanners at the airports to monitor temperature of passengers and capture their pictures.
“When passengers walk pass the scanner, it registers their temperature and If too high, they are pulled aside for observation,” she said.
It has been revealed that the viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, similar to a common cold. Coronavirus symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly headache and maybe fever, which can last for a couple of days
The deadly virus known as Coronavirus broke out in China and has since killed nine (9) people, with over 440 people also reported to have been infected.
The virus is highly communicable and has already spread to boarder countries like Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
China’s National Health Commission said on Wednesday that nine people had died from a new coronavirus and 440 people across 13 Chinese provinces had been confirmed to be infected and warned that the still-unidentified virus could mutate.
The Chinese government has classified the outbreak in the same category as the SARS epidemic, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the illness and the potential to implement quarantine measures on travel.