Wole Shadare
Effective from January 26, 2021, all air passengers to the United States will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 before being allowed into the country.
This new directive, according to the United States Consulate General, Lagos, involves passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States including U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) is expected to announce the order following weeks of discussions amongst federal agencies and the White House Coronavirus taskforce.
Nigeria started implementing a similar policy last year when it reopened its major international airports in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown.
The US government had previously issued an order mandating all travellers from Britain to show a negative test due to the highly infectious strain of the virus in that country.