Lagos screens intending Christian pilgrims

The Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board has commenced the administrative and medical screening of the intending pilgrims to Israel.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Adebunmi Adekanye, noted during the exercise that the screening was imperative to ascertain the fitness level of pilgrims and to ensure that their travelling documents were in order.

Adekanye said the pilgrimage would hold in the first quarter of the year, adding that the medical screening would afford the intending pilgrims to ascertain their health status and if need be, would be treated before they embark on the journey.

She said, “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines, pilgrims will be airlifted in batches.”

The Board Secretary of the pilgrims' board, Florence Gbafe, affirmed that the exercise was intended to educate the intending pilgrims on the guidelines associated with embarking on the holy pilgrimage, adding that the pilgrims might be subjected to COVID-19 tests before embarking on the journey pending the general guidelines of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission.

The Director, Operations at the NCPC, Revd. Amos Yohanna noted that the guidelines for travelling would be released two weeks before airlifting.