Are you an American citizen or legal US resident who has been stuck in Nigeria as a result of the lockdown and restriction of movement occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic?
Do you wish to be evacuated back home at the earliest opportunity? Then your prayers have been answered.
More Americans are to be airlifted from Lagos to Washington DC next week as part of the country’s COVID-19 evacuation programme
The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos has confirmed that two evacuation flights have been arranged through Ethiopian Airlines. The first flight will be next Thursday, 16th July 2020 while the second is scheduled for Thursday, 23rd July; both flights will depart from Lagos.
Each flight will leave from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos and transit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Washington Dulles International Airport. The Consulate General says there are no anticipated flights from Abuja this time.
The notice of the evacuation is contained in the Heath Alert posted in the US Mission’s website today, Friday, 10th July, 2020.
Unlike previous evacuation flights, the Consulate says it will not be calling travelers to book these flights and travelers will not be signing promissory notes.
All travelers are therefore expected to book and pay for their tickets through Ethiopian Airlines for the two flights which are only available to U.S. citizens and U.S. Legal Permanent Residents.
Anyone who purchases a ticket and does not fall into the two categories will be doing so at his or her own risk and may not receive a refund, if he or she is denied boarding on departure day.
The Mission restated that while the ultimate destination is Washington, D.C, via Addis Ababa, passengers cannot leave the Ethiopian capital’s airport while in transit. It advised those eligible for the evacuation programme to contact the airline directly for flight times, pricing and baggage information as well as to book and pay for tickets.
The U.S. Mission further advised intending travelers to ensure that they carefully and accurately complete the new evacuation questionnaires released in April 2020. Each traveler must complete his or her own questionnaire in order to be included in the Mission’s data set. For example, if there is a family of three, each family member must complete a form.
Every traveler is also expected to consult the US Centre for Disease Control, through its website, for the most up-to-date health information, including recommendations on what such travelers can do, to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos has already completed six evacuation flights from Lagos to the United States. The Consulate says it may organize additional flights if necessary or possible.
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria is located at Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja while the Consulate General is located at 2, Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The U.S. Mission to the Federal republic of Nigeria currently has an all-female Mission-leading team, with Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard as Head of Mission; Deputy Chief of Mission is Kathleen FitzGibbon while the Consul-General is Claire Pierangelo.
IMAGE CREDIT: US Embassy/ ng.usembassy.gov, Quora.com
