Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday called on the federal government to “temporarily halt all flights to and from the UK” to avoid the spread of a new strain of coronavirus into the country. 

Mr. Atiku said the new strain of coronavirus could add to “Nigeria’s health emergency” if nothing is done to prevent it from spreading into the country in a statement on Sunday night. 

“The new strain of COVID19 that has erupted in the United Kingdom, and specifically, London, can add to Nigeria’s health emergency if we do not act with an abundance of caution and temporarily halt all flights to and from the UK until this new strain is brought under control”, Mr. Atiku said. “Already, prudent nations are taking prompt action, and Nigeria must take necessary precautions due to the volume of air traffic between Nigerian airports and London, where this new strain has erupted.”

The UK government has imposed a Tier 4 lockdown in London and southeastern England to curb the spread of the new strain of coronavirus. 

Some European countries like France, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Latvia and Belgium have suspended flights to and from the UK in a bid to curb the spread of the new strain of coronavirus into their territories.  

Since coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China, last year, it has spread to 214 countries and territories around the world, infecting over 77 million and killing over 1.6million persons around the world. 

Nigeria has recorded over 77,000 cases of coronavirus infections and 1,218 deaths as result of the virus since its first index case was recorded in late February.