THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has mandated all intending travelers to and from Nigeria to possess an electronic Yellow Card.

This was stated in a memo released on Wednesday, signed by the General Manager Aeromedical Services, W.T Haggai.

The NCAA, in activating safety measure at point of entry as directed by the Federal Ministry of Health,  demands that intending travelers from Nigeria must present the e- yellow card upon boarding an airplane. While international travelers must present themselves for vaccination against yellow fever once they touch down Nigeria, in absence of a yellow card.

The electronic Yellow Card also known as e-yellow card is a certificate of vaccination to show that travelers have been immunized against yellow fever.

This new directive is Nigeria’s latest reaction to curb the spread of coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

Nigeria confirmed its second case of COVID-19 on March 9, increasing the concern of a possible outbreak in the country.

Already, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, after over 118,000 persons have been infected around the world and over 3,800 deaths recorded so far from the novel virus.

While the spread of the virus is slow in Africa, the Western nations have been battling with outbreaks and epidemics since the virus first originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

So far, over 113 countries have registered confirmed cases, with countries like Italy and Iran recording severe cases of an outbreak and deaths.

WHO maintains that there is still no known cure or vaccine for the deadly virus and advises people to wash hands regularly with soap and water as well as frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.