LASG identifies 6,500 inbound passengers who flouted COVID-19 travel guidelines

The Lagos State Government says it has identified and started communicating with about 6,500 inbound passengers who are suspected to have breached COVID-19 travel guidelines. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi on Friday. “We have commenced communicating with 6,500 inbound passengers who are suspected of not being compliant with our guidelines established to protect the community, lives and our economy,” a statement by the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi said on Friday. The Lagos State Government also disclosed that it had activated a mobile court for defaulters of the mandatory COVID testing for arriving travellers, peddlers of fake certificates and persons refusing to isolate on arrival into the country. According to Mr Abayomi, the move is part of efforts to halt the alarming trend of defaulters whose actions were responsible for previous increasing waves of the pandemic in Lagos State. “In response to this civil disobedience of our citizens, on the 14th of December Lagos State publicly announced the activation of the mobile court for defaulters of mandatory COVID testing for arriving travellers, peddlers of fake certificates and persons refusing to isolate,” the statement read in part. “The announcement and activation of the prosecution of defaulters by mobile courts resulted in a sudden trend in travellers complying with the requisite Day-Two and Day-Seven testing, isolation protocols and other guidelines, causing an almost doubling of our testing volumes per day. This is a very encouraging development. The more test the better we can prevent community transmission. “Many more positive inbound travellers were identified, and many more persons observed the isolation protocols resulting in better control of importation and spread into and within the community. “As a government, we are determined to halt the alarming trend of defaulters whose actions were responsible for previous waves of the pandemic in Lagos State,” the statement added.