Port Harcourt-------------- The Federal Airport Authority, FAAN, has restated commitment towards ensuring a zero Coronavirus, COVID-19, transmission as Port Harcourt International Airport resumes operations.
The Regional Manager, South-South and South-East, FAAN, Mr Abayomi Akinbinu, spoke weekend at the airport during the arrival of the first flight after three months of COVID-19 shutdown.
The first flight conducted by Air Peace 5N EUV from Lagos arrived Port Harcourt International Airport terminal at 7.50 am.
According to Abayomi, the Port Harcourt airport management was poised at ensuring zero chances of COVID 19 transmission as flight operations kick-starts at the airport
He also said that compliance with the COVID 19 safety guidelines by regulatory bodies in the sector has been well upheld, adding that management will give no room for default.
Commending the safety compliance level by service providers and passengers at the airport, he however decried poor adherence to the physical distancing rule.
His words, "To the best of my understanding, I think I’m satisfied with our adherence to safety tips but there could be a few protocols that we need to adjust especially in the area of adherence to physical distancing rule.
“Our markings of 1.5 metres apart are visibly on the floor, but may be because of excitement it’s not being properly followed; so we need to make quick enforcement in that regard,” he said
“On the departure section, we are gradually getting more passengers and I believe that going forward passengers’ turnout is going to increase.
“My message to prospective passengers is that the Port Harcourt International Airport terminal is safe.”
On passenger turnout, Abayomi said that being the first COVID-19 flight, low passenger turnout was expected with a gradual increase in the coming days.
In his remarks, the Head of Aviation Medical Clinic at the airport, Dr Nuhu Mwabi, said that the Port Health was fully on ground conducting mandatory temperature checks on both service providers and passengers before allowing them into the terminal building.
“This is because we want to fish out persons with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius and above, so that we can isolate such individual.
“Our cardinal objective is to ensure that we contain the spread of COVID-19 as well as other communicable diseases within the airport.
"We have an isolation centre right here for any person with a high temperature to be examined and if need be, we would then call for further assistance from the State Epidemiological unit.”
Mwabi further said that various medical teams and the WHO are also fully ready to professionally handle any suspected case where the need arises.