The Federal Government has placed a ban on travel by public servants to countries highly affected by COVID-19 pandemic disease.
This it said would help in the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
The affected countries are China, Iran, South Korea, Germany, Italy, USA, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, France and Japan.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja shortly after a meeting with the Presidential Task Force Committee on COVID-19 in Abuja.
He said the committee decided that the ban on public servants from travelling would remain until further notice.
According to him, the committee said any approval of trips to any of the countries before the announcement would be cancelled.
His words: “At the conclusion of the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the control of COVID-19, the committee has reached some decisions.
“We have decided to advise that all officials in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies including parastatals, that government has banned all forms of travels out of the country for whatever reasons, whether for meetings, bi-lateral, multilateral, conferences, seminars, workshops and any form of other ceremonies.
“And this ban will remain in place until further notice and until the situation of pandemic nature of the COVID-19 stops.
“By this notice, any prior approval to travel abroad on official assignment during this period is accordingly resisted.”
The committee also advised Nigerians in general to avoid travelling abroad, especially to the affected countries, until the coronavirus crisis subsides, just as it urged the government too to step up its bid to attend to the crisis.
It also warned those returning to the country to engage in self-isolation for 14 days to ensure that they are free of the disease.
“Secondly, we urge anyone returning to Nigeria from any country to strictly self isolate for 14 days.
“And that all people returning from countries with high community transmission rate, especially countries that have recorded a thousand cumulative cases and above would be actively isolated for 14 days by the health authorities,” he said.
