COVID-19 scare: Nigeria closes Consulate General office in New York

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, IBADAN

The Consulate General of Nigeria’s office in New York, the United States of America (USA) will be closed for ten days as fear of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic gripped the office.

As a result, Nigerians in the process of securing passports for travel purposes will have to reschedule their plans.

This information is contained in a public notice from the office of the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, a copy of which Daily Times has seen.

The public notice, signed on Wednesday, 17 February, read that: “The general public is, hereby, notified that the consulate General of Nigeria, New York will be temporarily closed from Thursday, 18 February to Sunday, 28 February, 2021, due to the number of staff who are quarantined as a result of exposure to COVID-19 at work.

“This action has become necessary to safeguard the health of staff and visitors to the consulate.

“Therefore, passport applicants who have been earlier scheduled for biometrics within the period of closure would be rescheduled and informed accordingly.

“All other requests for consular services should be mailed to the consular during this period.

“The Consulate General will reopen for normal services on Monday, 1 March, 2021.”