COVID-19: EFCC Deny Unvaccinated Employees Entry Into Offices

Some members of staff with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were on Monday denied entry into their offices at their headquarters in Abuja.

Security agents were seen at the gate early on Monday morning ready to enforce the compulsory vaccination directive by the Federal Government. Workers are mandated to show either their COVID-19 vaccination card or the P.C.R negative test result done within 72 hours.

Secretary to the Commission, George Ekpungu who led the enforcement team, told journalists that any staff who refuse to comply with the directive will continue to be locked out until the commission take a decision concerning such staff.

Some months ago, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 gave a directive mandating all Federal Civil Servants to be vaccinated or present evidence of negative PCR test for COVID-19, effective from December 1, 2021.

Since the December 1 deadline elapsed, the COVID-19 vaccination card has become a major access card to most government offices in Abuja by both workers and visitors.

Omicron Variant Fear

The enforcement of the mandatory vaccination comes amid fears of the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC said on Tuesday last week that three additional cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in Nigeria.

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Wednesday that three cases of the variant has been confirmed in the country.

The health agency said the three cases of the variant were discovered through genomic sequencing, linking the cases to three passengers from South Africa.

The NCDC boss, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, revealed that since reports of the emergence of the Omicron variant, the Federal Ministry of Health, through the NCDC, has intensified public health response measures to COVID-19.