Nigerians have been banned from entering the United Kingdom, after the country was placed on the UK’s red list over growing concerns of the recently identified COVID-19 Omicron variant. 

“You cannot travel to the UK if you’ve been in a red list country in the previous 10 days unless you are a British or Irish national, have residence rights in the UK,” the British government’s website said.

“Children arriving in England from a red list country should not be travelling alone unless they are students in boarding school, higher education or further education,” the website added.

In addition to the new restrictions, travellers who had been in a red list country 10 days before arriving in the UK will be required to  quarantine for ten days in a managed quarantine hotel and take a COVID-19 test. 

The quarantine package has to be booked using a portal administered by Corporate Travel Management.

Adult travellers will be required to pay £2,285 (about N1.7 million at BDC rates) for 1 room for 10 days (11 nights), and an extra rate for 1 adult or child over the age of 11 is £1,430. 

On Saturday, Peoples Gazette reported Nigeria’s addition to the UK’s “red list”.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that the tightened requirements would come into force from 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Out-bound passengers will be required to provide either valid evidence of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative PCR test result within 48 hours of departure.