LAGOS – Passengers who were stranded at Lagos International Airport were forced to cancel their trips due to Scarcity of the Yellow Card – An International Certificate for Vaccination. The yellow card is issued as evidence of vaccination against yellow fever and is a major requirement at the entry point of many African countries.
MLN correspondent who visited the Headquarters of the Port Health Services confirmed that passengers were seen in a long queue awaiting issuance, most of them had met the requirements for vaccination process but were yet to be issued the card. Majority of the passengers were said to be traveling to African and South American countries where the presentation of the card was mandatory before entry.
Passengers were seen lamenting and pleading with the concerned authorities to come to their aid by ensuring the availability of the cards before the end of the day.
Addressing the issue, Director, Port Health Services, Mr. Alex Okoh, expressed concern, promising that the situation was under control and that many passengers have been issued with the cards. He allayed the fears of worried passengers and insisted that the cards were available but that the authorities have to follow due process for issuance.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE LOGISTICS NEWS
The Federal Executive Council had earlier this year approved the introduction of a new yellow card for Nigeria. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said that there have been several reports of fake yellow cards being issued and that the new yellow card was forgery-proof as it had advanced security features.
According to the Minster, who revealed that “One of the challenges we had in the past with the current yellow card is that it could be issued by anybody and those who did not even receive the vaccination could also, in fact, get a card signed for them. With this new card, you cannot fake the yellow card. Using a card reader, we can also document your vaccination status,”
