Agency calls for Covid-19 testing and certification in 2021
Ekene Okafor, Lagos
The Director General National Council for Arts and Culture ( NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe has called for deep measures of support for tourism sector in 2021, through faster covid testing and certification process.
The reality of new strain of the pandemic, coupled with very stringent measures for inbound travels across board with partial lockdown affecting out door recreation, hospitality business and impacting on jobs, have advanced additional burden to industry players, not knowing how to survive next year.
Runsewe who is also President, Africa Region of the World Craft Council (WCC), stated that there was need to create a delibrate climate of assurance and faith for the Cultural tourism economy to avoid depression and continued loss of jobs.
He said the Industry is known to champion courses that tends towards breaking unemployment and enhancing rural development.
” We certainly welcome the news of vaccination to help curb the spread of the pandemic but we must give the Nigerian tourism and Culture sector some form of protection and confidence to get hold of a strategic survival plan through faster covid testing response and certification . The industry must breath in 2021 and show grit, he further stated.
Taking a look at the bleak and worrisome situation facing the industry, the iconic Cultural ambassador, believes an enthronement of an effective monitoring and compliance with COVID 19 protocols, Supported faster covid testing ecosystem and certification can boost the confidence in the troubled tourism economy, strengthen capacity for service providers, create more tourism jobs as against predicted losses inspired by covid and expand existing pillars of national integration, love for our history and heritage.
” The fear of another strain of the pandemic is very alarming but we must respond with a chain of confidence building processes, carefully driven through one to one engagement with Cultural tourism practitioners and geared towards creating additional domestic travels, empowering the hospitality and creative sector to sustain jobs, provide services compliant with covid protocols with a decentralized faster covid testing and certification process that can generate double digits growth for the industry in 2021,”he stated.
Runsewe explained that NCAC took to strategic engagement with relevant and critical stakeholders during the year to frustrate the fear and anxiety of covid 19 pandemic, praising the efforts of NCDC and presidential Task force on covid 19 for creating the enabling environment for Cultural tourism sector to thrive.
He said that Nigerians should discourage the stigmatisation of covid 19 patients and also remember that NCDC and the PTF consciously and deliberately created awareness campaign on covid 19 to reduce community spread.
” We should not fear 2021 but must carefully navigate all the challenges likely to face us through a dedicated bank of faster covid testing response mechanism.
He adds that there should be decentralised testing centres promoted with industry leadership to power the sector to growth in 2021.
Lateefah Ibrahim
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