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Tag: quarantine

  • South Florida Quarantine Over Invasive Deadly Giant African Snail

    The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has issued out a warning to people living in Florida United States of America (USA) to be wary of a deadly snail which has made it way back to the state.

    According to FDACS, one of the most damaging snails in the world which was recently spotted in a Florida city has  forced a quarantine in parts of the city.

    The giant African land snail, which can grow to the size of a fist and carry a parasite that causes meningitis, was declared eradicated from South Florida last year after a decade-long battle of people versus pests.

    Meanwhile a giant African land snail was found again  by a master gardener on June 23 in the New Port Richey area, FDACS said.

    Although snails may seem harmless, this particular specie pose high health risk to humans because it carries parasite rat lungworm which causes meningitis in humans.

    The snails grow up to between 8 and 10 inches and about the standard size of a coffee mug.

    According to the  FDACS, the snails also consume at least 500 different types of plants, posing a threat to Florida’s natural areas.

    The quarantine area spans nearly six miles and it doesn’t prohibit residents themselves from traveling, but it does prohibit any movement of plants, soil, compost or yard waste in the area without permission from the Florida Department of Agriculture.

    The FDACS’s Division of Plant Industry has already started treating the area with metaldehyde-based molluscicide, or snail bait.

    This isn’t the first time these snails have been found in Florida. According to the FDACS, they’ve been eradicated twice before. This is the third time they’ve become reacquainted with the state.

    FDACS warns that any resident who comes in contact with the snails shouldn’t touch them or wear a mask before doing so.

    Lissachatina fulica is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae. It is also known as the Giant African land snail. It shares the common name “giant African snail” with other species of snails such as Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginat

  • Europa final: English fans may avoid quarantine in Poland

    Europa final: English fans may avoid quarantine in Poland

    Poland will allow British football fans who want to support Manchester United at the upcoming 2020/2021 Europa League final match to avoid the mandatory coronavirus quarantine.

    This will be if they fulfill the condition of presenting a negative SARS-CoV-2 test.
    According to a government regulation that takes effect on Tuesday, fans with tickets to the May 26 game in Gdansk will need to present a negative test.

    But the test must not be older than 48 hours upon their arrival in Poland.

    As a general rule, travellers from non-EU countries need to quarantine in Poland for 10 days.

    But they cannot be freed from quarantine on the basis of a test conducted outside of the EU.

    EU citizens, however, can present a negative COVID-19 test conducted in their country and be freed from mandatory quarantine.

    This rule will apply for Villarreal fans, Manchester United rivals, who will support their team at the Gdansk final.

    Poland is gradually re-opening its economy as the number of coronavirus infections is declining and the vaccination campaign progresses.

    For the Europa League final, fans will be able to fill up to 25 per cent of the Gdansk stadium, which means 9,500 people will be allowed to watch the game on site.

  • Australian Open quarantine plan faces legal challenge

    Australian Open quarantine plan faces legal challenge

    Apartment owners on the premises of a luxury Melbourne hotel are seeking to quash plans by Australian Open organisers to use the hotel to quarantine players ahead of the Grand Slam.

    The apartment owners at the Westin Melbourne are concerned for their health and never agreed to international players quarantining at the hotel, their lawyer Graeme Efron told Reuters on Monday.

    “My instructions are to get an injunction. So at this stage, that’s where we’re going,” Efron said.

    Hundreds of players are expected to arrive in Melbourne in mid-January and undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine as part of COVID-19 protocols before the Feb. 8 to Feb. 21 Australian Open.

    Efron said the Westin had informed the owners on Christmas Eve about the quarantine plans and presented it as a “done deal.”

    “No-one has told us that this has been mandated by a government authority to turn a partly residential city hotel into a quarantine hotel,” he said.

    Owners, who include some of the country’s top business people, said they felt “ambushed” by the quarantine plan.

    “At 84, I’m in the vulnerable group and it’s shocking the way they tried to ram this through without any attempt to consult with us,” owner Digby Lewis told Fairfax media.

    Westin management said their “COVID safe” plan had been shared with the owners corporation, adding that residents would use a separate entrance and lifts and have no contact with players and quarantine staff.

    “Their floor will remain exclusive, while there will be no reticulation of ventilation between the floors,” the Westin said in a statement.

    Tennis Australia did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

    Melbourne, capital of Victoria state, was the epicentre of Australia’s largest second wave outbreak of COVID-19, which started at two quarantine hotels for international arrivals.

    More than 18,000 infections were recorded in Victoria during the outbreak and nearly 800 deaths.

    Victoria recorded three new cases on Monday, as authorities scrambled to trace close contacts from an outbreak that began in mid-December in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area.

  • Celebrated actress dies in coronavirus quarantine hospital

    Celebrated Egyptian actress Ragaa al-Gedawi died aged 81 on Sunday in a quarantine hospital weeks after testing positive for the new coronavirus, state media reported.

    In late May, al-Gedawi, a former model, was transferred to a hospital in the coastal city of Ismailia, north east of Cairo, after displaying symptoms of the virus.

    She was quarantined in the hospital until her death early Sunday, the online edition of state-owned newspaper al-Ahram reported.

    Several days ago al-Gedawi was placed on a ventilator at an intensive care unit in the hospital due to her old age and her deteriorating health.

    Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country of nearly 100 million people, recently loosened virus-related restrictions to boost its economy.

    Health authorities have so far reported a total of 74,035 virus cases and 3,280 related deaths.

  • COVID-19: BBNaija 5 contestants in quarantine ahead of July 19 kick-off

    COVID-19: BBNaija 5 contestants in quarantine ahead of July 19 kick-off

    Qualified contestants for the 2020 edition of the Big Brother Naija are being quarantined in an unknown facility ahead of the July 19 kick-off.

    This was made known by Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, the Regional Director of M-Net West Africa on Thursday, July 2 during a media parley via zoom.

    “The contestants are currently in quarantine and we are working with the NCDC to ensure due protocols are observed in monitoring the contestants.

    This is aside going through other health and regular medical checkups to be sure all contestants are fit and ready for the show.

    In the case of contestants not fit for the show, we have a wide pool of qualified contestants that we can choose from,” Mba-Uzoukwu stated.

    Ahead of the reality TV show, the organisers, Multichoice Nigeria, made known some of the changes that will be occurring in the show’s fifth edition.

    Mba-Uzoukwu said there would be no audience for live shows that include the opening night and eviction shows.

    She said live audiences won’t be allowed to participate in the live shows as previously done.

    Ma-Uzoukwu said this is in line with the guidelines of the social distancing and other procedures in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

    In furtherance, Mba-Uzoukwu said the number of ninjas used on the show will be reduced while celebrity guests won’t be allowed throughout the show.

    “We are encouraging the audience to stay at home and enjoy maximum entertainment as we roll out season 5 of BBNaija.

    It promises to be fun, entertaining, and interesting. BBNaija encourages people and the audience to stay at home and watch,” Mba-Uzoukwu stressed.

    Multichoice’s chief customer officer, Martin Mabutho, noted that while the number of contestants and theme for the fifth edition of BBNaija can not be disclosed at the moment, the prize will be mouth-watering.

    “I can tell you for sure that the total and ultimate winning prize for this year is bigger than you know.

    I can tell you that the ultimate prize for BBNaija 5 is the biggest in the history of all Big Brother editions,” Mabutho revealed in excitement.

    The BBNaija season 5 is expected to run for three months from Sunday, July 19.

  • Kenyan government under fire over quarantine centres

    Kenyan government under fire over quarantine centres

    Kenya’s government is facing growing criticism over quarantine centres it set up to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with witnesses saying some are squalid and expose residents to the risk of contracting COVID-19.

    Since mid-March, the government has enforced a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for anyone who flies into the country,or has direct contact with someone infected and lives in an area where self-isolation is not allowed.

    Those who can pay spend the quarantine in an upmarket hotel.

    Others are placed in government-run facilities established in buildings such as schools or universities.

    Demonstrations have broken out in some centres, break-outs have been reported, and the government faces two lawsuits over alleged mistreatment which it has yet to respond to.

    Reuters interviewed 12 people who have spent time in quarantine in the government-run centres; meanwhile two said conditions were satisfactory.

    The other 10, who asked not to be identified to avoid stigma, described filthy conditions with bedbugs, overflowing toilets and bad food.

    Reuters sought comment from the facilities where these people were housed but telephone and text messages sent over several weeks received no responses.

    Health Ministry spokeswoman Judy Sirima declined comment.

    One woman told Reuters she was quarantined at Nairobi’s Kenya Medical Training Centre for two weeks and tested negative for the coronavirus.

    Then others at the facility, where people were crowded together at mealtimes, tested positive, although she was kept another week, and then tested positive too.

    “I got it from the quarantine; we were sharing washrooms; we were sharing everything,” she said.

    However, Reuters could not verify where she contracted the virus.

    A woman in quarantine at the Karen Cooperative Retreat and Conference Centre said she and others received no protective gear.

    “We are not given masks; no gloves, no sanitiser,” she said.

    However, neither facility responded to requests for comment.

  • We are not happy with asking returnees pay 297k each for quarantine – FG

    We are not happy with asking returnees pay 297k each for quarantine – FG

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama has explained why subsequent Nigerians to be evacuated home from abroad will have to pay for their isolation accommodation and feeding within the period.

    Onyeama said the government would have loved to pick the bills but for paucity of funds.

    He spoke yesterday during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19.

    There are well over 4,000 stranded Nigerians abroad awaiting evacuation following the global lockdown occasioned by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Returnees have been asked to pay about N297,000 apart from their flight tickets for their hotel accommodation for the period of isolation/quarantine on arriving the country.

    In the last one week, the country had evacuated 678 Nigerians from United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States. These sets of returnees are under the care of the Federal Government.

    He said the government was not happy that subsequent returnees would have to pay for their 14 days compulsory isolation and feeding within that period.

    He said: “This gives me the opportunity to really communicate to you the challenges we are having with respect to evacuees.

    “There has been quite a lot in social media, especially after the recent directives that we communicated to our missions indicating certain amount of money that anybody who wanted to be evacuated back to the country needed to pay.

    “And it was not just for air ticket, but also accommodation for two weeks and two days and the cost of feeding.

    “Now this is not by any stretch of imagination something that the government is happy to do.

    “As I mentioned time and time again, if the resources were there, we will evacuate everybody, and if our medical infrastructure was solid and case load was much lower, we could look at other ways of revisiting our protocol.

    “But they way things are at the moment, the fragility of our health infrastructure, the trajectory of the increasing numbers of positive test being what they are, we have to take the greatest care with regards to the protocol we adopt regarding to people coming home.

    “So it has been decided after long discussion and evaluation by the best medical minds that we have that it is best for us, for the interest of the country, that there should be a period of quarantine when any of our evacuees comes home, that has a cost too.

    “And you know one of the things people have been suggesting: why can we not house them in NYSC facilities, school facilities which would be cheaper? And the answer to that given again by our medical people is that the quarantine must be one per room so that you don’t have infections and so forth.

    “So it has to be premises that provides for individual rooms. And the only one we could lay our hands on that are available are hotels.

    “We went to great length to get these hotels at the best rate possible. And the amount we could get for Abuja is N15,000 and also negotiated as best as we could for the feeding.

    “Now with regards to flight coming in, one of the real challenges we had was that we didn’t want to keep people out there any longer that they needed to be.

    “So for us we put a lot of emphasis on trying to get as many people back as quickly as possible, and that means whatever flights are available, we will try and arrange with those flights and take them back.

    “Now, there is a lot of uproar about the costing that we presented for those wishing to come back. But as I said, the resources are not there. But we are still looking for resources all over the place.”

    “But knowing also that time is of essence and a lot of people will have to come back and so we are making this flight possibilities available for those who really feel they have to come back as quickly as possible while at the same time we are negotiating, we are trying to find what kind of health resources we can find them to assist as best as we can, and that is an ongoing process and negotiation.

    “So this is really the situation we have and we hope we will be able to present a package possibilities that would be easier on our people who want to come home.”

  • Evacuation criteria: FG broke, says Nigerians stranded abroad must pay N297k each for quarantine

    Troubled by the cost of evacuating its citizens abroad, the federal government has unveiled a new policy that requires Nigerians stranded abroad to offset their two-week quarantine bill as a prerequisite for possible evacuation.
    Before now, the returnees were only required to pay for their flight while the government took care of their two weeks stay in isolation.

    Returnees from United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States and the United Kingdom who are currently kept in Lagos and Abuja hotels are being taken care of by the government. The new guidelines stopped that.

    The new guidelines have been sent to Embassies and High Commissions which have communicated them to Nigerians wishing to return home.

    The government said it imposed the fees “due to measures that are beyond the control of COVID-19 local organizing team.”

    The new directive was revealed in a letter to the evacuees signed by the Head of Chancery, Nigerian Mission in Thailand, Nicholas Uhomoibhi, and dated May 14, 2020.

    There were indications last night that the government could no longer afford the cost of taking care for two weeks, of the estimated 4,000 Nigerians who have indicated interest to return.

    The letter said: “I am directed to bring to your attention due to measures that are beyond the control of COVID-19 local organizing team in Nigeria, all evacuees going to Nigeria henceforth are to now pay for their quarantine, isolation, accommodation centre or hotels before departure and arrival in Nigeria

    “In this regard, all prospective evacuees are to note the negotiated rate below: Accommodation (N15,000 x16 days=N240,000) and Feeding (N3,600 x16 days=N57,600). Total: N297,600 at N18,600 x16 days”

    Kindly be informed that these rates were negotiated in Nigeria and that the Embassy has been instructed not to airlift any evacuee who fails to pay the above fee.”

    A similar letter sent to all Nigerians in the State of Kuwait by the Embassy of Nigeria on May 13, 2020, said the evacuees will pay N297,600 for their quarantine in Nigeria apart from the air fares.

    The letter, titled “Re: Request for evacuation of Nigerian nationals in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.” said in part: “Further to our notice of 5th April 2020 on the above mentioned subject matter, the Embassy wishes to inform that all intending evacuees are to pay for their quarantine/isolation/accommodation/centre/hotels before departure and arrival in Nigeria.

    “The negotiated rate is as follows: Accommodation-N240,000 (N15,000 x16 days); Feeding-N57,6009( N3,600 x 16 days). Total- N297,600 (N18,600 x16 days).

    “All evacuees are to pay the aforementioned amount for their quarantine/isolation/centre/hotels directly to the airline along with their tickets. Evacuees have option to pay in dollars or its equivalent in Naira.

    “It is important to note that evacuees that do not pay for their quarantine/isolation/accommodation/ centre/ hotels will not be allowed to board the flight.”

    For Turkey, the Embassy in Ankara informed them with a May 13 memo to pay N297,600.

  • NCDC Officials flee Kogi State to avoid being tested for COVID-19

    NCDC Officials flee Kogi State to avoid being tested for COVID-19

    The official of the National Centre for Disease Control NCDC, Dr Andrew Noah ordered to be isolated by the Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello have fled the state to avoid being subjected to COVID-19 test.

    This was disclosed Thursday night by the State Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo in a statement issued late Thursday night.

    Governor Bello had ordered the leader of the NCDC delegation to proceed on isolation for shaking hands with the Director of Protocol, Sunday Ayenibe after taking the microphone from him.

    The governor had also explained that Dr Andrew had contravened the rules and regulations of NCDC and so should be tested for COVID-19 since he was coming from the epicenter of the disease.

    “It was drama today at the Kogi State Government House as officials of the National Center for Disease Control sent to ascertain the COVID-19 status flee the state ” Fanwo stated.

    It would be recalled that Kogi is one of the two states that are yet to record a single COVID-19 case in the federation.

    “The Officials of the NCDC said they were sent to the State to assist the state in responding to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

    “The Officials said they were not ready to be tested for COVID-19 and went back to Abuja.

    He said that why the NCDC Officials feared being tested was a matter of concern to the Government of Kogi State.

    The Commissioner said that NCDC should come hard on its Officials for violating its rules.

    “Today, the Governor showed the statesmanship in him once again by appreciating the support of the NCDC and defending the health interests of his people.

    “NCDC quarantined the Chinese professionals that came to give them technical support and also took their samples for test. It is a normal practice and protocol set by NCDC.

    “So NCDC will have a lot to explain as to why its officials refused to test for COVID-19. How can we be sure of their status? What are their fears? Why did NCDC sent people who are afraid of test to our State? What was their intention?

    “The officials that came have done an integrity blow to the works of the NCDC. Is there something they are hiding? It is time NCDC opened up and apologize to the good people of Kogi State.

    “How will they encourage people to test when its own officials are afraid of the test? This is sad”.Fanwo noted.

  • TNG X-ray: Reps vow to ‘naked’ quarantine bill during plenary

    TNG X-ray: Reps vow to ‘naked’ quarantine bill during plenary

    …claims and counter-claims by proponents and opponents

    The stage is set as members of the most vibrant Green Chamber in Africa set to pass a Bill on Quarantine designed to help check infectious diseases in Nigeria on Tuesday.

    This whole drama started last Tuesday when the House moved to repeal the Quarantine Act 2004.

    Thereafter, a petition which has gone viral mounted the centre stage in the sicial media tearing the Bill into shreds and asking Nigerians to pass a death sentence on it.

    Some top ranking members in the House of Representatives that spoke to thenewsguru.ng, (TNG) vowed that the Bill unarguably the most talked about Bill in recent time would be exhaustively discussed and properly thrashed.

    One of such lawmakers from the North Central geo-political zone who spoke to TNG under the condition of anonymity declared that”we’ve allowed too many wrong things to go the wrong way.

    “This time around we’ll bare our fangs and open the underbelly of the Bill for all to see because you can’t imprison us in the name of a law and disease control.

    Another Lawmaker from the South South geo-political zone simply said I will stoutly stand on the side of truth if I am allowed to speak because some of us have been named enemies of leadership.

    A Lawmaker from the North East geo-political zone said” I will speak against all the anti-Nigerian aspect of the Bill if the presiding officer gives me the nod.

    “You know some of us here are tagged internally displaced parliamentarians despite the fact that we are ranked but adequately relegated to serve new lawmakers that are chairmen of committees.

    “But we fervently pray and hope that it will be a free level playing chamber when we resume.

    The last Lawmaker that bared his mind without fear or favour is Rep Uzoma Nkem-Abonta who told TNG that there’s “no going back untill we expunge all the satanic contents of the controversial Bill.

    “We won’t migrate into error by speedily considering such a Bill without public hearing as Nigerians will never forgive us and our generations yet unborn.

    Proponents for the Bill:

    Those clamouring for its passage argued that no Nigerian will be arrested or forcefully made to take any vaccine without his consent.

    They claimed that there’s nothing like plagiarism in the legislative parlance so re-producing the Singoporean of 1976 law is not out of place.

    Various reasons were given which were hinged on the covid 19 pandemic stating that if it was in place travelers into the country could have been controlled by the NCDC.

    Nigeria would have been saved from the embarrassing situation it found herself today.

    But the opponents of the Bill argued that no if there’s is no hidden intent why the speedy approach to ensure its immediate passage.

    They submitted that the Bill as it is cannot fly as it has too many defects.

    The Bill if passed into law will concentrate too much powers in the NCDC and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

    They equally emphasised that they may move it into the exclusive list.

    However, how the Bill would be shaped or unshaped legislatively would be unfolded on Tuesday.