Omicron: FG reciprocates, restricts flights from Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia from Tuesday 

The Federal Government of Nigeria says restriction of airlines from Canada, United Kingdom (UK) and Saudi Arabia will take effect from Tuesday, December 14, 2021.

Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, disclosed this on Sunday in Lagos.

This is coming barely two weeks after Canada detected the Omicron variant on two Nigerian travellers in the country which led to banning inbound flights from Nigeria and nine other African countries.

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Also, UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia has been placed on a red list over the outbreak and spread of the Omicron variant.

The UK had announced that non-UK and non-Irish citizens travelling in from Nigeria will not be allowed entry into the country following the cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant reported in Nigeria.

Saudi Arabia had also imposed a temporary ban on flights from Nigeria over the increasing number of omicron variant cases.

The minister noted that if those countries placed Nigeria on a red list, they do not have the moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial operations, according to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said, “We have given our input that it is not acceptable by us, and we recommended that those in Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina also be put on the red list as they did to us. If they do not allow our citizens into their countries, who are they coming, as airlines, to pick from our country? They are not supposed to come in.

“I am very sure in the next three days; Monday or Tuesday, all those countries will be put on the red list of COVID-19.”

He stressed that airlines of the affected countries remained banned and the countries placed on Nigeria’s red list.

Sirika apologised to Nigerians intending to travel to those countries, saying the government’s decision was in the interest of the country.