Keyamo Enforces 21-Day No-Fly List for Ebola Contacts

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 individuals identified as contacts of Nigeria's confirmed Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days. This directive was issued after a virtual meeting on October 22 with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

The meeting focused on the government's response to Nigeria's first confirmed Ebola case since 2014. Keyamo stated that 44 of the contacts had interacted with the infected woman at a hospital where she sought treatment after developing symptoms, while two were her domestic staff.

Arrangements are being made to isolate these contacts while health authorities assess their health status. Keyamo emphasized the need for the NCAA to notify all local and international airlines to ensure that none of the identified contacts travel by air during the monitoring period.

The patient was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 20, after traveling from Uganda to Nigeria.