No Mask, No Entry: Federal Government Relaxes Regulations, Airlines Still Insist.

 

Following the declaration of The United States of America to abolish the coronavirus safety measures in their major airlines, requiring passengers and employees to wear masks within the airports and transit stations, several nations have put away these measures as well. This cascaded down to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Authorities in the country agreed to comply with the new COVID-19 restriction dissolution after a federal high court judge had struck down the public health measure.

The Federal Government, on Wednesday 30th of March 2022 ,had said that the wearing of face masks in public places is no longer compulsory as efforts are being made to ease up COVID-19 restrictions across the country. Head of the Technical Secretariat, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Muktar Muhammed, who said this in Abuja, added that a decision on the final relaxation of COVID-19 measures would be taken after Easter.

Five major carriers including United and Delta airlines now say masks are now optional for travellers aboard their aircraft in compliance with the directive. However, there are still restrictions within airports concerning the use of face masks and other safety precautionary measures.

Considering the drop in infections and proof in the ineffectiveness and ingenuity of the vaccines, countries are now completely lifting the restrictions they put in place to manage the outbreak of the virus. With many dropping mask mandates and other restrictions earlier placed on entering social areas.

Chairman of PSC and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, had a week earlier announced that the Committee had reviewed situations around the world and applied such to the situation in Nigeria. He had also announced that PSC has revised the International Travel Protocols, which came into effect on Monday, April 4, 2022.

Asides flight restrictions, Nigeria is not left out in the global lifting of COVID-19 sanctions with March's lifting of most of the remaining safety rules which included a nighttime curfew and limitations on gatherings, imposed at the start of the outbreak in Africa’s most populous country.

Evidently, airline authorities refusing to board passengers for refusal to use the masks have proven to be against humanity and what is globally acceptable. This shouldn't be the case as each individual has the right to choose what forms of precautions they desire to take. 

In addition, some individuals may suffer one ailment or another restricting them from breathing properly, the use of a mask would be a death sentence. We cannot also overlook the fact that scientifically, the use of masks inhibits the inflow of oxygen and outflow of carbon dioxide; if anyone should repeatedly and for hours breathe in what they've also breathed out, it causes a serious depression of the central nervous system leading to 'Hypercapnia'.

As a matter of fact, according to the Federal Government's decree, this authorized mandate should be extended to public places including the airports without default. Failure to comply with this decree is not adequate as it opposes the law and needs to be stopped quickly by the law enforcement agencies in the nation.