By Uche Mbah
Foreigners working in Nigeria are reluctant to travel back to their home states because of fear of Coronavirus, The Source can now report.
Many European countries are on lockdown due to the rapid spread of the disease which, had only eight people that tested positive in the US a month ago but now has more than a thousand positive people in every state. Many Italian returnees do not mind self isolation for two weeks before being reintegrated into the society as long as it does not entail their going back to their home country.
Many workers in Multinational companies have vowed to stay in Nigeria until the storm blows over.
“What am I traveling home to do?”, said one SPDC staff on being questioned whether he will like to visit home at this time. “it is hardly necessary”. An Italian staff of Lafarge say that if he travel now, to come back will be a lot problems due to the current stringent immigration measures of Federal government on Covid 19 endemic countries. Italy appears to be the worst hit European country.
Even among Nigerians, returnees from overseas are treated like lepers. Ere now, people look forward to their relatives coming from overseas but now, such people are hardly welcome. People these days call their returnee relatives instead of going to see them, thanks to Coronavirus. And there is increasing reluctance of Ubber and Taxify (Bolt) drivers driving expatriates. The driver of the index case was quarantined. The driver to the dead American who allegedly died in Ekiti tested positive in the first instance. However, the diagnosis of the American was said to be inconclusive before he died of an undisclosed complications.
“This is an unfortunate reversal of roles”, says Ephraim Chukwu, an unemployed graduate. “Before, it was ‘Dont come to my country’, but now it is ‘I wont leave your country'”.
Meanwhile, the national Assembly has been begging the president to address the nation. All countries are being addressed by their president on the issue but president Buhari keeps mum.
Besides foreigners, Nigerian politicians no longer travel overseas for medical check up.
