Airport authorities not doing enough in fight against Coronavirus – Passengers

Passengers who have passed through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) in recent times have said the the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Port Health authority have failed in its responsibility of carrying out proper screening on passengers coming into the country.

This indictment is coming after the Nigeria government confirmed one case of the conronavirus in the country, a case of an Italian, according to the Federal ministry of health, marking the third confirmed case in Africa.

The infected passenger who got into the country on 25th of February was carried by Turkish Airline.

A passenger who identified himself as Chinedu said he recently passed through MMIA and realised that the airport authorities have been lackadaisical in screening and beefing up activities in fight against the virus the airport.

“When we arrived February 7 from Addis Ababa we found out that the forms on passengers identity, address and health conditions which were supposed to be distributed to airlines, which airlines ought to share to passengers before arrival in Lagos, was being given to the passengers on arrival. This gave rise to chaos.

“In that crowded situation, there was no due process to screen the passengers accurately on arrival. What should be critical is the screening and the result of the screening and not the filling of the forms. Nigerians naturally tell lies without prompting, so the information supplied on the forms can barely be reliable. But it is all for documentation,” he explained.

Another passenger who craved anonymity said after passing through the airport, she realised that the forms distributed at the airport for documentation purpose was not collected back from her.

The passenger wondered how the airport authorities would be able to monitor passengers who had contact with an infected person without proper documentation at the airport.

John Ojikutu, former commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport said at this point, the country needs effective and efficient health profiling at the point of entry.

“Do we have the necessary equipment and do we have skilled manpower in health management at the point of entry or adhoc manpower? Lagos state health departments  seem to be sufficient for such emergency among the 36 states, what preparations are in place at the other states health services?

“If MMA is being complemented by the Lagos state health services, what are we expecting to do for other major airports of Abuja, PH, Enugu and Kano? I hope this situation would not lead to flight disruption as the neglect on the Instrument Landing Systems did? Ojikutu inquired.

Speaking on the Italian victim, an aviation expert who craved anonimity said it is also possible that on his arrival the virus might not have manifested as to change his temperature, however the airport should be tightened.

“FAAN and Port Health staff should download videos on how China is dealing with the case. Since two days ago, the rate of spread in China has ebbed. There is really no need for panic but to do the right thing because in a tropical, humid place like ours, COVID 19 does not have high chance of survival more than one and half minutes outside the body. We might overstretch ourselves by panicking,” he said.