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Newlyweds face ebola travel ban agony

MANAMA, February 28, 2015

By RAJI UNNIKRISHNAN

A newlywed couple living thousands of miles apart say they are being prevented from seeing each other due to Bahrain's "Ebola travel ban" on their native Nigeria.

Basil Maduakor claims he cannot leave the country or bring his wife Cynthia here because of ongoing "confusion" surrounding a ban on Nigerians following an outbreak of the deadly virus last year.

He told the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, that his countrymen were informed by the Interior Ministry's Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) that the ban issued in July last year had been lifted, but when he approached the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) he was told his wife could not travel to Bahrain.

"I got married on July 26 last year and returned to Bahrain on August 2, and since then I have not been able to bring my wife here to join me because of the ban," said the 29-year-old engineer.

"It has been very difficult for us as a couple to be separated barely one week after marriage. My wife who is a chemical engineer and was working in Nigeria had resigned from her job hoping that she could join me soon," he stated.

"I have been reading every news report related to Ebola and Nigerians hoping to get some information on the status of the ban - which we have been told for over two months now is awaiting executive approval before it can be lifted, said Maduakor."

Another Bahrain resident, Nurudeen Yusuf, said many members of the Nigerian community in Bahrain have not seen their families for months because authorities do not allow them to return home for holidays.

"When my friend checked with NPRA officials, they said we can travel and the ban has been lifted, whereas an LMRA official said that the ban is still in effect," said the Nigerian.

"We are confused and still waiting for an official announcement on this as many of us are stuck here without being able to go on holidays or bring our families to Bahrain."

Officials from NPRA, LMRA and Health Ministry did not comment when contacted by the GDN.

The GDN had reported in November last year that Bahrain had not lifted a ban on Nigerians travelling here, despite the country being declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) a month earlier.

Health Minister Sadiq Al Shehabi said that the ban on travel to that country, earlier imposed by Bahrain, had been lifted, after a visit by WHO experts who assessed Bahrain's readiness to fight the deadly virus.

However, Health Ministry assistant under-secretary for primary care and public health Dr Mariam Al Jalahma later said that the ministry was awaiting Cabinet directives on lifting the ban, along with the other West African nations Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March last year, and has rapidly become the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976.

As of February 10, a total of 9,268 people have been reported as having died from the disease in six countries - Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the US and Mali.

The total number of reported cases has reached more than 23,000.-TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Bahrain | Nigeria | Travel ban | ebola |

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