Nigeria adds South Africa to its COVID-19 'red list' for arriving travellers

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria is adding South Africa to its "red list" of countries for which there are stringent restrictions for arriving passengers, officials said during a briefing on Monday.

Nigeria is introducing the restrictions due to the spread of the Delta variant in South Africa, Chikwe Ihekweazu, the head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said. The country joins India, Brazil and Turkey on the list.

"In Nigeria, we haven't found the Delta variant yet," Ihekweazu said during the briefing.

Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited the countries on the list within 14 days are barred entry from Nigeria, while passport holders and residents must undergo a seven-day quarantine in a government-approved facility at cost to the passenger.

They are also required to take COVID-19 tests within 24 hours or arrival and after seven days in quarantine.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah and Libby George; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)