Nigeria slams UK’s ‘discriminatory’ travel ban over omicron

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian official has criticized a travel ban imposed on the West African nation by the British government amid fears about the new omicron variant as “punitive, indefensible and discriminatory.” U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Saturday added Nigeria to the U.K.’s travel “red list,” which means that arrivals from there will be banned except for U.K. and Irish residents. He said there was a “significant number” of omicron cases linked to travel with Nigeria, with 27 cases recorded in England. Nigerian authorities say they have not reported any new omicron cases since announcing on Dec. 1 they had detected three cases in travelers from South Africa. Information Minister Lai Mohammed said Monday the British travel ban is “not driven by science.”