Travel News

By Ananya Bhattacharya

This story has been updated with news of WHO’s classification of the variant, and new travel restrictions.

Today (Nov. 26), the UK added six African countries to its “red list” for travel: South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. A new variant of covid-19, seemingly originating in the region, is of “huge international concern,” says the UK health secretary Sajid Javid. Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia are also on the list.

Several countries swiftly followed suit. The US, Canada, and several more European and Asian countries have also severely restricted travel from southern Africa, although, at time of writing, the number of cases detected outside the region remains small.

Which other countries are restricting travel to and from Africa?

Alongside the UK, several other countries are also stopping travel from Africa. The US will restrict travel for non-US citizens from eight African countries, including South Africa, from Monday.

Japan and France have restricted travel and mandated hotel quarantines from the same six countries as the UK. Israel and Singapore have both banned the six countries, as well as Mozambique.

Shortly after the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the bloc was also considering restricting air travel, a slew of EU nations including Germany, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, and Italy announced restrictive measures.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday (Nov. 26) decided the variant is “of concern” and officially named it omicron. It cautioned against sudden travel measures in response to the virus.

The UK’s red list is back

The UK first introduced the red list in February 2021, mandating a 10-day hotel quarantine that cost £2,285 ($3,043) for any individual arriving from one the designated countries.

As vaccinations picked up around the world, the ban was relaxed. By the start of October, the red list had just seven countries—Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela—and by the end of the month, it was effectively eliminated.

Now, despite over 80% of people in the UK having received both doses—almost three in 10 also have their booster shot—the restrictions are back. The government is wary of the new strain.

“We’re taking this early precautionary action now to protect the progress made across the country, and will continue to keep a close eye on the situation as we continue into the winter,” transport secretary Grant Shapps said.

Africa’s response to travel restrictions

In a statement on Nov. 26, South Africa’s ministry of international relations and cooperation said it “respects the right of all countries to take the necessary precautionary measures to protect their citizens.”

South Africa hopes to persuade the UK and other countries to walk back the temporary ban because the cost to livelihoods is too high. Pre-pandemic, the UK was its biggest source of tourism with more than 430,000 UK travelers (pdf) arriving in South Africa in 2019. The southern African economy lost an estimated 790 million rand ($48 million) for every month it was on the red list earlier this year.

Nigeria will be added to Britain’s travel “red list” at 0400 GMT on Monday, health minister Savid Javid said on Saturday.

All travellers from Nigeria to Britain will also have to quarantine on arrival in hotels as cases of Omicron spiked to 160.

The new restrictions were put in place to slow down the spread of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Britain.

“We’ve kept the data under review over the last week or so since we learned about Omicron, and we’re seeing increasing number of cases linked to travel,” Javid said in a broadcast.

“We’ve always said we will act swiftly if we need to, if the changing data requires that, and that’s why we decided to bring in this change on pre-departure tests.”

All inbound travellers to Britain are also required to take pre-departure COVID-19 tests. The test is expected to be done maximum of 48 hours before departure.

The World Health Organisation described Omicron as a variant of concern.

Canada and Indonesia had earlier announced similar restrictions on travellers from Nigeria and some Southern Africa countries.

Javid said that the number of cases of Omicron in Britain had risen to around 160, and that Nigeria was second only to South Africa in terms of Omicron cases linked to travel.

Nigeria to be added to travel red list from 6 December and people travelling to UK from any country will need to take pre-departure test from 7 December.

• Nigeria to be added to the travel red list from 4am Monday 6 December following 21 cases of Omicron reported in England which are linked to travel from this country, with 134 UK cases now reported in total

• In light of emerging evidence on the Omicron variant, from 4am on Tuesday 7 December anyone aged 12 and above wishing to travel to the UK will need to show a negative pre-departure test (LFD or PCR) as close as possible to departure and not more than 48 hours before to slow the importation of the new variant

• Government working at pace to expand Managed Quarantine Service capacity, but passengers are advised that hotel bookings may be limited as new hotels are onboarded

• These are temporary measures that have been introduced to prevent further Omicron cases from entering the UK, and will be examined at the three-week review point on 20 December

From 4am on Monday 6 December, UK and Irish citizens and residents arriving from Nigeria must isolate in a government-approved managed quarantine facility for 10 days, and receive two negative PCR tests, as further precautionary action is taken against the Omicron variant.

Currently, the vast majority of cases in the UK have clear links to overseas travel from South Africa and Nigeria, and over the past week, 21 Omicron cases reported in England originate from Nigeria.

A temporary travel ban will therefore be introduced for all non-UK and non-Irish citizens and residents who have been in Nigeria in the last 10 days, meaning they will be refused entry into the UK. This does not apply to those who have stayed airside and only transited through Nigeria while changing flights.

Last weekend, 10 countries were added to the red list and it was announced that all vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK must take a day two PCR tests and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. Since then, the geographical spread of Omicron has increased considerably, with 37 countries around the world now reporting Omicron cases and over 134 cases identified in the UK.

New analysis conducted by the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) indicates that the window between infection and infectiousness may be shorter for the Omicron variant, which increases the efficacy of pre-departure testing as it is more likely to identify positive cases before travel.

In light of this emerging evidence and the changing global picture with regards to the spread of Omicron, from 4am on Tuesday, anyone wishing to travel to the UK from countries and territories not on the red list must also show proof of a negative PCR or lateral flow (LFD) pre-departure test, taken no earlier than 48 hours before departure. This applies to vaccinated passengers and children aged 12 and above.

Airlines will be required to check for pre-departure tests alongside a completed passenger locator form, and passengers will not be allowed to board a flight without providing evidence of a negative test result. Given the reduced incubation period of the Omicron variant, passengers are advised to take the pre-departure test as close as possible to their scheduled departure to the UK and no earlier than 48 hours before travelling.

These additional measures are vital to delaying the import of additional cases and slow the rise in cases within the UK. However, as the Prime Minister set out on 27 November, all temporary measures will be reviewed after three weeks to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate, and this will take place on 20 December.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said:

We knew this winter would be challenging but the arrival of a new variant means we must further strengthen our defences.

As our world-leading scientists continue to understand more about the Omicron variant we are taking decisive action to protect public health and the progress of our COVID-19 vaccination programme.

I urge everyone to do their bit to slow the spread by following the new travel rules, wearing masks where mandatory and most importantly getting the booster jab when called.

Anyone arriving from Nigeria before 4am Monday [6 December] will be advised and strongly encouraged to isolate at home, and their household should also self-isolate for 10 days starting with their arrival in England.

Affected individuals will be contacted and offered free PCR tests to be taken on day 8 after their arrival.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said:

Following developments in the past week, the science shows that we must be cautious in guarding against this new variant and so, while we appreciate this will be difficult for the travel sector, it’s important we prioritise public health. As we learn more about the Omicron variant, we will review these temporary measures to ensure they continue to be proportionate and necessary to protect public health.

Analysis by the UKHSA suggests there is strong indication of Omicron presence in Nigeria, and several cases identified in the UK are linked to travel from Nigeria. The country also has very strong travel links with South Africa, for example Nigeria is the second most popular flight destination from Johannesburg.

The UKHSA continues to monitor the situation closely, in partnership with scientific and public health organisations across the world, and government is working collaboratively with the WHO and countries around the world to better understand the new variant and possible mitigations.

Travellers should not attempt to travel to the UK from a red list country without a Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) booking, as they will not be able to board a flight and could be subject to a fixed penalty notice at the UK border. The government’s advice is to keep checking the CTM website as there are significant number of cancellations happening which will free up rooms.

The MQS has contracted several new hotels to enter service this week, in response to the likely numbers of UK residents who will want to travel from Nigeria before Christmas.

British nationals in Nigeria should check Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice and follow local guidance. The FCDO will continue to offer tailored consular assistance to British nationals in country in need of support overseas on a 24/7.

The government is clear it will take further decisive action if necessary to contain the virus and new variant.

Background

• British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights, arriving to England from countries on the red list must book a managed quarantine hotel in advance. The quarantine package will include a managed quarantine hotel, quarantine transport and a travel test package for COVID-19 tests on day 2 and day 8 of quarantine. Read more about booking and staying in a quarantine hotel

• Further information on international travel requirements can be found elsewhere on GOV.UK, including advice on transiting through red list countries.

• Arrivals to the UK will need to meet the UK’s health and border requirements and comply with the relevant quarantine restrictions if coming from a red country or if not fully vaccinated. If you do not have the correct documentation ready to meet UK health and border requirements, you may delay yourself and others, be denied boarding, or face a fine.

• Today’s announcement comes as countries around the world continue to strengthen their travel restrictions in response to the Omicron variant, with the US, France and Ireland all requiring passengers to take pre-departure tests.

by Innocent Odoh

Federal government says it will engage the government of the United Kingdom (UK) on the travel restrictions it imposed on Nigerian travellers to the country over the Omicron variant of the COVID-19.

In an interaction with LEADERSHIP yesterday, the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esther Sunsuwa, said the government will “respond appropriately to the restrictions.”

The UK had in a statement on Saturday added Nigeria to the travel red list, from 4am today following 21 cases of Omicron reported in England which were reportedly linked to travels from Nigeria.

The UK said these were temporary measures that had been introduced to prevent further Omicron cases from entering the country and would be examined at the three-week review point on 20th December.

Sunsuwa said the ministry will contact the UK authorities first over the reported restrictions and “their response will determine what the ministry will do next.”

“From 4am on Monday, 6th December, UK and Irish citizens and residents arriving from Nigeria must isolate in a government-approved managed quarantine facility for 10 days, and receive two negative PCR tests, as further precautionary action is taken against the Omicron variant,” the UK statement said.

It said that currently, the majority of cases in the UK had clear links to overseas travels from South Africa and Nigeria, and over the past week 21 reported Omicron cases in England originating from Nigeria.

The statement added that a temporary travel ban will therefore be introduced for all non-UK and non-Irish citizens and residents who have been in Nigeria in the last 10 days, meaning they will be refused entry into the UK. This does not apply to those who have stayed airside and only transited through Nigeria while changing flights.

Speaking about the decision, British High Commissioner to Nigeria Catriona Laing said: “I know that this decision will have a significant impact on people in both our countries, particularly at this time of year. This decision is a precautionary measure to protect public health in the UK, whilst we try to understand this new variant.

“We continue to work very closely with the Nigerian authorities in tackling the pandemic and commend their ongoing work.”

The statement stressed that travellers from Nigeria are still able to transit English airports, provided they have the necessary transit visa.

“These additional measures are vital to delay the import of additional cases and slow the rise in cases within the UK. However, as the Prime Minister set out on 27th November, the UK Government will review all temporary measures after three weeks to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate, and this will take place on 20 December,” it added.

By Wole Oyebade

Egyptian tourism has lately benefitted from COVID-19 disruption with more Africans, especially Nigerians, visiting Cairo for leisure.

Country Manager for EgyptAir, Muharram Abdel Rahman, gave this hint, adding that tourism traffic from Nigeria lately spiked by 400 per cent.

Rahman, at a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), noted that the airline started flying in Nigeria 56 years ago, though only 50 Nigerian tourists travel weekly.

He noted that when governments of Nigeria and UAE banned flights to and fro Dubai, “EgyptAir saw an opportunity and decided to take advantage of it by collaborating with NANTA on how to increase trade and tourism between Nigeria and Egypt.”

“After our meeting with NANTA, we started advertising Egypt as a favourable destination for Nigerians for tourism and trade. In the past, we used to have about 50 tourists weekly but now that number has grown to about 250 people visiting Egypt from Nigeria weekly and our flights are usually full,” Rahman said.

Egypt’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Ihab Moustafa Awad, who was the special guest at the meeting, added that in the past, Egypt’s embassy in Abuja used to receive about 30 visa applications daily but that since July last year, the number has increased to 300 applications.

The envoy, however, acknowledged the slow pace of the applications attributing it to lack of capacity both at the Egypt Embassy in Nigeria and the Nigerian embassy in Egypt.

He noted that his administration was working on an electronic visa that would make it easier for applicants to send in their applications from anywhere in the country instead of traveling to Abuja.

President of NANTA, Susan Akporiaye, said the most popular destination travel agents do sell is Dubai, but when the ban on flights happened, the association had to collaborate with African carriers to explore better options.

“Since we started the campaign, Egypt Air has had full flights and we have generated lots of traffic going to Egypt and those who go there come back with good things to say. They tell us that they never thought they could get clothes of better quality in Africa. It has been an easy sell because you can market it to every sector in the country from education to medicine to fashion to entertainment because the country is rich in culture.

“However, one of the bottlenecks we experienced is the issue of visa processing. We want to have a more visa friendly process so that Nigerians won’t forget about going to Egypt now that Dubai has opened up,” Akporiaye said.

BY  Caleb Ojewale

The number of Nigerians applying to migrate to the UK, US and Canada is on the rise but not as many are granted visas, immigration data analysed by BusinessDay has shown.

The common impression, especially on social media, suggests a mass exodus of sorts from Nigeria, but this is not backed by data from these three countries, which are among the top destinations Nigerians favour.

There are two main visa categories, non-immigrant/temporary visas and migrant/permanent resident visas. Leaving Nigeria legally, for ‘greener pastures’, to reside and work requires migrant/permanent visas and these differences are critical.

For instance, as of September 2021, Canada has issued 22,867 temporary resident visas to Nigerians and 9,215 permanent resident visas. While both numbers represent an increase over 2020, they are still below what was recorded in 2019, especially temporary resident visas — comparison with 2019 is because it is considered the ‘last normal’ year before the pandemic. It shows fewer Nigerians were granted visas to migrate or visit Canada.

Most US immigrant visa categories granted so far in 2021 were to relatives of US citizens who applied to join either a spouse or other family member. . While the visa approval rates largely remained either flat or declined, more work-related visas have been granted to Nigerians by the UK, as well as in 2020 when all visa applications dipped.

Read Also: UK, US preferred by Nigerians seeking dual citizenships – Iduh

Canada

When compared over the years from 2018 to 2021 (September), there is no sign of an ‘astronomical increase’ in the number of Nigerians granted Canadian visas based on an analysis of data provided to BusinessDay by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Department of the Government of Canada responsible immigration into Canada, refugees, and Canadian citizenship.

In 2018, Nigerians submitted 15,801 applications for Canadian permanent resident visas but only 10,225 (64.7 percent) were granted.

In the same year, Nigerians also submitted 88,957 applications for temporary resident visas, out of which 40,701 visas were issued, representing 45.7 percent.

By 2019, applications from Nigerians for permanent resident visas increased to 18,774 of which 12,699 (67.6 percent) were granted visas. Applications for temporary resident visas went up to 115,400 of which 42,511 (36.8 percent) were issued.

In 2020, there were fewer applications for permanent resident visas due to the COVID-19 pandemic; as 16,971 Nigerians applied and less than half, 7,207 (42.4 percent) got visas. There were 69,348 applications for temporary residents and 28,071 (40.4 percent) were issued visas.

Comparing the first nine months of previous years, from 2018 to 2021, a trend emerges. In 2018, 31,865 temporary resident visas were issued to Nigerians, while 8,077 got permanent resident visas.

The number increased in 2019 (within the same period ) to 32,431 for temporary resident visas, and 10,290 permanent resident visas.

By 2020, the number of temporary resident visas granted halved to 20,700 when COVID struck. The number of permanent resident visas plunged by 65 percent, only 3,628 visas were granted. In 2021 the number of visas were more than 2020, but lower than 2019 and part of 2018.

United States of America

Immigration data provided by the US Department of State shows how many visas are issued within any period but not the number of applications submitted.

From 2011 to 2020, 74,068 immigrant visas have been issued to Nigerians– 2013 recorded the highest with 9,782. However, the number of immigrant visas has been declining since 2018 when 7,922 Nigerians were issued the visas, dropping to 6,746 in 2019, and dipped further to 3,677 in 2020. Immigrant visa holders are often those allowed to work under certain conditions as permitted by the specific visa type they hold.

For non-immigrant visas (business, tourism etc), however, 1.17 million visas have been issued to Nigerians. There was, however, an overstay rate of 11.16 percent in 2019 according to a report by the US Department of Homeland Security.

So far in 2021, the US has issued 4,626 immigrant visas to Nigerians, while 22,841 non-immigrant visas have been issued.

Even though a notice on the State department website cautions against comparing monthly reports from some years due to a change in methodology, the immigrant visas already granted in 2021, exceed what was given for the whole of 2020 (which could be attributed to COVID).

Identifying the top five immigrant visas issued to Nigerians, a breakdown of the 4,626 immigrant visas already issued in 2021, shows that 1,002, the highest, were for children of US citizens. Visas for spouses of US citizens come next with 910 issued then 588 conditional visas for spouses of US citizens followed by 420 visas for both undefined reasons and parents of US citizens who are at least 21 years old. The fifth highest is 413 visas which is also undefined.

While the data for 2021 was manually collated on a monthly basis to get 2021 figures so far, a notice on the US website stated that the reports contain preliminary data, which are subject to change.

United Kingdom

In 2018, there were 129,765 UK visa applications from Nigeria, and out of these, 82,489 were issued, while 47,219 were rejected. There is also data for ‘lapsed and withdrawn’ applications out of total submissions.

Out of these 82,489 visas only 3,726 were work-related visas and 551 work-related applications were refused.

In 2019, the applications increased to 155,403 and 108,116 were issued, while 45,941 were refused. Out of the visas granted, 5,162 were for work-related visas and 552 refused.

By 2020, the applications declined to 81,333 and 56,528 visas granted while 25,391 were refused — 5,514 of these were for work-related visas and 177 refused.

So far in 2021, from January to September, there were 109,025 applications from Nigeria for UK visas. Out of these, 74,131 were issued, while 28,858 were refused. Of the visas granted so far, only 7,877 were for work-related visas and 288 were refused.

Work-related visas to the UK also had applications covering some dependents.

BY  Sodiq Oyeleke

The British High Commission has announced plans to suspend “making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, including Nigeria.

This is coming few hours after the United Kingdom added Nigeria to its red list over Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The decision to suspend visa applications consideration was announced in a statement issued by the commission on Sunday.

“To support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement read in part.

It added, “Visit visas cover travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family and friends, undertaking short-term business activities (for example, attending meetings), undertaking short-term studies (under 6 months), taking part in research or exchange programmes as an academic, medical reasons (for example, receiving private medical treatment).

“If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK Immigration Rules, your application will be paused. You will not receive a decision on your visit visa application whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.

“You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). If you already hold a valid visit visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter.

“There are only very limited exemptions to travel and entry requirements for critical workers and medical and compassionate cases.

“If you have submitted a visit visa application and you do not wish to withdraw, we will continue to hold your application. If you choose to continue with your visa application, you will not receive a decision on your visit visa whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.”

The recent pictures on Ayomiposi’s instagram page were the first hint she had ‘Japa’, a term used to describe people leaving Nigeria in search of better opportunities.

BusinessDay had interviewed the 24-year-old Nigeria-trained nurse in January, having taken the IELTS examination twice but failed to secure desirable scores to complete her applications to the UK as a nurse. She had taken other required examinations and passed but the IELTS remained elusive until the third attempt in March. She finally left Nigeria for the UK after passing the examination.

At her old job with a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) in Lagos, she wouldn’t state her actual pay but gave the range as being between N73, 000 and N180, 000, whereas she already had a peek into what her future pay – between £26,000 and £30,000 could be in the UK.

“The pay here in the UK is not so great, but way better than back home,” she said.

Before passing the third IELTS, she already started her Nursing and Midwifery Council (a UK regulator for nursing, and midwifery profession) verification, looking for jobs and sending out her CV. She had interviews and finally got an offer.

This was followed by another round of verifications and checks on her certificates and results. When the prospective employer was satisfied, she was sent a certificate of sponsorship with which she secured a visa to the UK.

“The work in the UK is different because of technology and instruments,” she said, and this makes life easier for her as a nurse.

“It has been an amazing journey but not easy. It is also like starting from scratch but it is worth it, she said, adding that it took her over N1.5 million from when she started the process in Nigeria to finally secure her place as a nurse in the UK.

In another destination favoured by many Nigerians is Aluko, who was a mid-level executive, working with a multinational firm before leaving Nigeria for Canada with his family in November 2018. At the time, he worked as a sales executive with a German company that was operating in Nigeria, but he never really planned to leave.

“The process was not something I was interested in. It was my wife who started it,” he said in an interview, where he declined the use of his real name. “Initially, I was not interested in it because what do I want to do outside Nigeria? I was already flying all over the world.”

According to him, whenever he travelled outside Nigeria, after two to three days, he would already be missing home. He has now been in Canada for three years.

For him and his family, settling in was less challenging for a number of reasons. First, they were going to Canada as permanent residents, so it made it a bit easier to look for a job. Secondly, his wife’s uncle had been based there, so he was able to help them settle into the country. Thirdly, even before arriving in Canada, his wife already got a job.

“We landed on a Saturday and my wife resumed (work) on Monday,” he said.

A masters degree holder and a graduate of pharmacy in Nigeria, his first job on arrival in Canada is what he called “survival jobs”. He did that for a few weeks until he was able to find his feet

“Imagine you are in a place where you have masters and the majority of the guys (you work with) are high school leavers or dropouts,” he said. When the opportunity to get a bank job came, he took it and worked there for four months before finally getting a job with British American Tobacco. For him, it took six months to get a job of his choice, but others are not always that lucky.

“The story is not always the same for everyone who migrates to Canada,” Aluko said. According to him, there are people who have been in the country for two years but still trying to get a stable job. The upside, however, is that, regardless of economic status, “you know you have equal right. The only thing you cannot do is probably vote and be voted for because you don’t have Canadian citizenship.” The citizenship, he said, becomes available after three years of staying without leaving.

At the time of leaving Nigeria, his daughter was about two years old, and the family also has a son now, who is a year and five months old.

“The truth is, no matter how great Nigeria may be, it can’t be like Canada,” said Aluko of his experience. “I can’t think of being sick and the first thing that comes to my mind is medical bills.”

“When we gave birth to my son, the cesarean surgery didn’t take more than 15 minutes,” he recalled. “It is not the case of we are calling the surgeon and the surgeon is in traffic or something like that.”

He has only one complaint; taxes. “What I was earning in Nigeria was not money,” he said. Maybe multiplied by 10 or 15 is what he earns now, but after taxes, his old pay in Nigeria multiplied by 5 is at least what he has left.

Getting the visa was not totally smooth sailing. With an initial attempt for a visitor visa denied, the family applied for a permanent resident visa and got it. Their application took about six months to get approved, but at present, a friend of his has been expecting feedback on an application submitted since October 2019. His mother-in-law who visited this year got her visa approved after a year of applying.

By Wole Oyebade

• Passengers stranded as British Airways cancels flights in, out of Nigeria
• UK detects 80 new Omicron cases, ban to affect over 8,000 Nigerian travellers
• Citizens UK coming from Nigeria to pay £2,285 for 10-day quarantine
• Canada no longer accepting COVID-19 test results from Nigeria, nine African countries
• Global clinic data confirms new variant is less lethal
• Holiday travels hobble under restrictions, forex liquidity crisis

The British High Commission, yesterday, said it would “pause making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, which includes Nigeria.

The decision was announced in a statement issued by the commission yesterday. The development comes hours after the United Kingdom (UK) added Nigeria to its travel red list.

“To support the UK government’s aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement reads.

Visit visas cover travel to UK for tourism, visiting family and friends, undertaking short-term business activities, undertaking short-term studies (under six months), taking part in research or exchange programmes as an academic and for medical reasons.

“If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK immigration rules, your application will be paused. You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre. If you already hold a valid visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter,” the statement added.

The UK, earlier on Saturday night, had announced the imposition of a travel restriction on Nigerian citizens following an increase in the number of cases of the Omicron variant across the world. This was disclosed by UK’s Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, via his official Twitter account.

BRITISH Airways, yesterday, cancelled its flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos into London Heathrow in the United Kingdom, citing operational reasons. The airline also did not operate its inbound flight from London into Lagos.

Sources at the airport linked it to the implementation of the travel ban imposed on countries considered red flags to the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Many passengers who turned up at the airport for check-in procedures were disappointed with counters for British Airways scanty. Some workers who were at the counters informed the distraught passengers that the flight into the United Kingdom was rescheduled for early hours of Monday.

Some passengers, who sought clarifications for the sudden twist of events, were handed flyers signed by the Customer Service Duty Manager of the British Airways Nwanorue Alexander.

It reads: “We would like to inform you of a change to the departure time of your flight BA 074 on December 5, 2021 to London Heathrow. We have had to make this adjustment to our schedule due to operational reasons. Your flight will now depart Lagos next day. We are sorry for the change to your travel plans, please be rest assured that we will do everything we can to help.”

An immigration source at the airport attributed the glitch in travel to the new rules set by the United Kingdom government for admitting passengers into the country.

UK is the third country to impose a travel ban on Nigeria after Indonesia and Canada. Javid stated that only UK and Irish citizens travelling from Nigeria would be allowed into the country after quarantining for a certain period.

He tweeted: “In light of the most recent data, we are taking further action to slow the incursion of the Omicron variant. From 4:00a.m. on Monday, only UK/Irish citizens and residents travelling from Nigeria will be allowed entry and must isolate in a managed quarantine facility.

“And from 4:00a.m. on Tuesday, anyone travelling to the UK from countries not on the Red List will be required to take a pre-departure test, regardless of their vaccination status.”

British citizens and residents travelling from Nigeria to the UK are expected to spend £2,285 on hotel quarantine for 10 days.

“This will mean that only UK residents or citizens of the UK can enter the UK from Nigeria from that point onwards, and they would have to quarantine in one of the relevant hotels,” Javid, stated.

There is an “additional rate for one adult (or child over 11)” at £1,430, while an “additional rate for a child aged 5 to 11” is £325.

Quarantine costs do not apply to children under five. However, the UK says it will consider an arrangement for persons who have financial challenges.

But a petition by Dalia Elbeih, a UK citizen, to the British parliament seeking to allow fully vaccinated people coming from red list countries to isolate at home had exceeded 78,000 signatures as at yesterday.

“The hotel quarantine is very expensive and non affordable. I believe that there should be an exemption for fully vaccinated people and who had a negative PCR to isolate at their place of residence,” the petition reads.

The petition, which the UK government had responded to on July 6, has a deadline of December 10 and will be considered for debate in the UK parliament if it reaches 100,000 signatures.

This is coming as analysis of data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed a 76 per cent spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country in 24 hours.

In UK, cases of the new Omicron variant have risen by more than 50 per cent in one day. On Sunday, 86 cases of the new variant were recorded, bringing the UK’s total to 246.

However, a government scientific advisor said it is “too late to make a material difference to a potential wave of omicron cases.”

Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “If Omicron is here in the UK, and it certainly is, if there’s community transmission in the UK, and it certainly looks that way, then it’s that community transmission that will drive a next wave. I think the travel restrictions came too late.”

IN a related development, the Canadian government has said it will not accept results of molecular COVID tests done in Nigeria and nine other African countries. The other affected countries are Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In the quick facts section of its travel advisory, the country said Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and people with status under the Indian Act who have been in the affected countries are allowed entry into Canada.

It, however, added that they would be required to obtain proof of a valid negative COVID test from a third country. This implies that such travellers would need an in-transit PCR test result for entry into Canada.

“Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and people with status under the Indian Act who have been in these countries—Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—in the 14 days before travel to Canada will be required to: Obtain, within 72 hours of departure, a valid negative COVID-19 molecular test in a third country before continuing their journey to Canada,” the statement reads.

Travellers from the aforementioned countries will also be expected to “complete testing upon arrival to Canada, regardless of their vaccination status or having had a previous history of testing positive for COVID-19.”

They will also be “required to complete a test on Day 8 after arrival and quarantine for 14 days”, while “those arriving by air will be required to stay in a designated quarantine facility while they await their arrival test result.

“They will be permitted onward travel once they have received a negative arrival test result. Those arriving by land may be allowed to proceed directly to their suitable quarantine location,” the statement reads. The new protocol came into effect on December 1.

MEANWHILE, Dr Jonathan Obaje, a Nigerian scientist based in Singapore, said since African Omicron discovery, global clinic data has confirmed that the variant is less lethal than earlier variants. Obaje, a former Vice President of Nigeria in Diaspora, Singapore, said this on Sunday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

According to him, this is the second week of the ‘African Omicron’ discovery, so far clinic data from across the globe have confirmed that Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus is less lethal than the Delta and other earlier variants.

Obaje said: “We must remember that the severe acute respiratory syndrome Covid virus (SARS-COV) of 2002 was eventually weakened to common flu by our innate immunities.

“The human immunity system is the most powerful and most sophisticated defence system that has sustained humanity for ages. Advances in science and technology are great, but they have their own limitations.

“We now have enough scientific capabilities to confirm in one more week, whether or not Omicron variant is less lethal than Delta variant. So far, many reports from across the globe indicate so.

“In event that Omicron is confirmed less lethal, scientifical expedient action thereafter will be for everyone to open gates, for Omicron to quickly spread and become dominant globally. Omicron will then become the new harmless COVID-19 virus.

“Such will be the best way to save humanity from further COVID-19 calamity; current negative media hype, panic and political measures are unscientific, we are most likely going to have ‘Merry Christmas with the African Omicron.’”

Reacting to the UK ban, former President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Omede Idris, told The Guardian: “All these are unnecessary and uncalled for. Precautionary travel guideline of test and vaccination and non-pharmaceutical intervention are better alternative.”

To National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Adewale Aderemi Oladigbolu, “this is a call to action to Nigeria government, COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Nigeria is abysmal and we need to demolish all policies of government that limits access to vaccines. We should realise the UK ‘s ban on flights is a protective measure for her citizens in view of high virulence and the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in some countries of the world. Nigeria agencies and parastatals must love Nigerians well enough to take similar measures to protect her citizens.”

THE initial optimism of a bumper harvest in the air travel sector this festive season is fast waning. Besides the Omicron variant aiding the initiation of flight bans and restrictions across the globe, the in-country foreign exchange crisis is unsettling airfare and further pushing it beyond the reach of potential holiday travellers.
 
While most Nigerian holidaymakers may not be able to travel overseas, at least 8,000 citizens that are due for Nigeria this December have been caught in the web of UK’s restrictions on Nigerians entering the UK, beginning from today.
 
Apparently miffed by the latest restriction, aviation stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to reciprocate with a similar gesture to check reckless restrictions, and protect Nigerian travellers from abuse and aero-politics.
 
Though the ban is for Nigerians bound for the UK, it does not exempt over 8,000 Nigerian travellers that have bought air tickets to visit Nigeria during festive period, as the restriction would affect their re-entry into Britain after holidays.
 
Nigerians itching to travel out are as well agonising over the disruption as international airfares are also beginning to spike, though partly due to challenges of repatriating stuck funds and fluctuations on the Rates of Exchange (RoE) that is deployed by foreign airlines.
 
A market survey by The Guardian, yesterday, showed that airfares had gone up some notches, with some routes posting an average of 20 per cent spike just as the RoE rose from N411 to N454/$ on the sales platform. In addition to the spike is the costs of additional COVID-19 test – now five per round-trip – which air travellers have to bear, subject to availability of flight.
 
For instance, Lagos-Paris-Lagos Economy Class ticket that sold for an average of N200,000 pre-COVID-19, N350,000 early this year, between N480,000 to N650,000 during summer has risen to between N500,000 and N700,000 depending on the airline of choice. Business Class ticket was at weekend sold for between N2.6 to N3.2 million, compared to between N1.2 to N1.5 million previously offered.
 
Lagos-Atlanta-Lagos that formerly sold for an average of N260,000 Economy, between N600,000 and N850,000 at summer, has gone as high as N900,000 depending on airline of choice and where the booking takes place. Business Class on the U.S. route sells for between N3.2 million and N3.6 million per traveller.
 
Travel consultant, Sunday Olumegbon, said the foreign carriers are beginning to push the burden of the FX liquidity crisis on the air travellers.
 

“I’m aware that most of them are still having difficulties repatriating funds. They sell in Naira, as mandated by the rules, but the Central Bank has no dollar equivalent to help them repatriate the funds to their headquarters. Given the delay, they have jacked up RoE to N454/$; all on the consumers.
 
“The spike does not factor in the cost of COVID-19 tests that is now five in number and at an average cost of N250,000 extra, per trip. So, to travel to Europe, an average traveller must cough out about N1 million. That is tough and many people will have to stay on the ground. I only feel sorry for all those that have bought tickets and have one emergency or other to attend at this difficult period,” Olumegbon said.
 
Indeed, foreign airlines operating in and out of Nigeria took their protest to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over difficulties in repatriating accumulated funds, in excess of $800 million (N328.8 billion) about a month ago.
 
The apex bank had pledged to avail FX to repatriate about 70 per cent of the fund. Fillers hinted that the stuck fund had continued to pile up in the last two weeks, with airlines taking extra measures on airfares that are sold in Nigeria.
 
For instance, airlines have withdrawn all promo fares, stopped travel agencies from selling tickets that do not originate from Nigeria, while offering tickets but with very stringent conditions.
 
President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye, said foreign airlines having funds stuck in Nigeria is not in the interest of all parties.
 
Akporiaye noted that the airlines have raised airfares, though the rate of exchange has gone up.
 
“The fare that used to be $1500 two years ago is still the same price, but the RoE that was N260 is now over N411/$. The airlines have nothing to gain by increasing fares. This is not the best time to increase airfares, but to break-even from full flight services.
 
“It is well known that Africa is a ready market and it is the loss of any airline that does not want to do business with us. We should really not beat ourselves over anything the Western world is pushing at us. It is their market to lose,” Akporiaye said.
 
Chairman of the Airline Passenger Joint Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Bankole Bernard, said the UK ban on Nigeria was rather harsh, unnecessary and unfair to the country.

 
Bernard said: “What is the basis of that ban in a country that has low prevalence of the new variant? I think it is the turn of Nigeria to reciprocate; place the UK on our red list and ban both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from coming to Nigeria. Look at the picture, the UK banned Nigerians from coming in, yet their airlines are still coming to Nigeria. It is all about the market and to make money. It is not fair. It is time we started protecting our people as well,” Bernard said.
 
Indeed, airlines and travel agencies had projected a significant increase in the number of travellers over the Christmas period, as lockdowns began to ease, and several international travel routes reopened. The worry was the cost of fuel, travel restrictions and even depleted workforce on some of the airlines.
 
With most airlines no longer receiving government financial support, which helped many firms keep afloat during the worst of the pandemic, companies are having to employ and pay more pilots, flight attendants, travel agents, and airport staff to meet the growing demand on old and new routes.
  
Last week, American carrier United Airlines made a return on the Lagos-Washington route after a six years hiatus. Yesterday, it was the turn of Emirates Airlines to reconnect Dubai to Lagos and Abuja after a nine-month layover. Struggling South African Airways is also revving up to return to Lagos-Johannesburg route on December 12.
 
Least anticipated was another disruption by COVID-19 that has become a seasonal plague and most ferocious during the winter season. And since South Africa announced the discovery of the Omicron variant a fortnight ago, the virus has shown up in over 24 countries. More than 32 countries have closed borders to flights from some nations, especially from the southern Africa region, and others have imposed stricter measures to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
 
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, said October’s traffic performance reinforced the fact that people would travel when they are permitted to.
 
“Unfortunately, government responses to the emergence of the Omicron variant are putting at risk the global connectivity it has taken so long to rebuild,” Walsh said.

The Federal Government has asked the United Kingdom to review its decision to impose travel ban on Nigerians because of Omicron variant of COVID-19 . It said the UK’s decision was “unfair, unjust, punitive and discriminatory because it does not follow science.”

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed made the position of the government known at a briefing in Abuja.

He said: “As you are aware, Britain has put Nigeria on its red list and banned foreign travels from our country.

” This is as a result of the discovery of Covid-19 cases, Omicron variant, in Nigeria. Britain now joins other countries, including Canada, which have taken a similar action against Nigeria over Omicron.

” Let me say straight away that it’s up to the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) to respond to this action by the British government and others, and I have no doubt that the Committee will respond appropriately.

” However, as the Spokesman for the Federal Government, I can say, without mincing words, that the decision by tye British government to put Nigeria on the red list, just because of less than two dozen cases of Omicron which, by the way, did not originate in Nigeria, is unjust, unfair, punitive, indefensible and discriminatory. The decision is also not driven by science.

“We sincerely hope the British government will immediately review the decision to put Nigeria on its red list and rescind it immediately. Nigeria has handled the Covid-19 pandemic with utmost responsibility and based on science, and has rightly earned global accolades for its efforts.

“Nigeria does not belong on any country’s red list.”