Coronavirus: Nigeria High commission suspends indefinitely passport issuance

The Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, has said that it had suspended indefinitely, the processing of passport for Nigerians in different Canadian communities, to prevent continuous spreading of COVID-19 known as coronavirus.

The commission made this known on Tuesday in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York.

It said that it would however continue to issue Emergency Travel Certificates (ETC) and visas to applicants that needed to travel urgently.

“This measure is in line with the Canadian government’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s guideline of ‘social distancing’ as a ‘community mitigation strategy’ to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“It is a conscious effort by government to reduce contact between people and hopefully stem community transmission of the virus.

“Applicants for ETC and visas should, as usual, forward their applications by mail, attaching the relevant documents.

“The ETC or visa would be processed and mailed back to the applicants accordingly,” the statement read in part.

The commission therefore enjoined Nigerians in Canada to strictly follow the COVID-19-related guidelines provided by Canadian health authorities in their communities.

According to NAN, Canada recorded not less than 324 confirmed cases and four deaths from coronavirus across the provinces on Monday.

The confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada yesterday forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce the closure of the country’s borders to non-citizens or non-permanent residents.

Canada’s new measure was however not directed at citizens of the United States, where about 4,482 confirmed cases and 86 fatalities from Coronavirus was reported on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has shut its borders especially against European countries.