The Lagos State Government has directed hotels, nightclubs, event centres, restaurants, lounges, and other hospitality establishments to strengthen hygiene and safety protocols as a precaution against the ongoing Ebola outbreak reported in parts of Central and East Africa.
The Lagos State Safety Commission clarified that neither Lagos State nor Nigeria has recorded any confirmed Ebola case, stressing that the advisory is intended to prevent potential public health risks and protect residents and visitors.
The directive comes as the federal government intensifies health screening procedures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to guard against the possible importation of the virus.
It also follows recent inspections of screening and emergency response facilities at the airport by Lagos health officials as part of efforts to assess the state’s preparedness for any outbreak.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, said Lagos’ role as Nigeria’s commercial capital and a major international gateway makes proactive action necessary.
According to Mojola, while there is no Ebola case in the country, the state must remain vigilant due to the high volume of international travel and business activities passing through Lagos.
The commission noted that operators of high-traffic venues have a critical role to play in preventing the spread of infectious diseases because of the close-contact nature of their businesses.
As part of the advisory, hospitality operators were instructed to increase cleaning and disinfection routines, particularly on frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, countertops, handrails, menus, and payment terminals. Establishments were urged to use hospital-grade disinfectants to enhance safety standards.
Management teams were also advised to train frontline staff, housekeeping personnel, and security officers to identify early signs of illness.
The commission further recommended daily health checks for workers and the enforcement of strict stay-at-home policies for employees showing symptoms such as fever.
In addition, hospitality businesses have been directed to designate temporary isolation areas that are properly ventilated.
These spaces would be used to safely separate any guest or staff member who suddenly becomes seriously ill while awaiting medical attention.
The commission also called on operators to manage crowd sizes responsibly and improve ventilation in enclosed spaces to reduce health risks.
Mojola urged businesses and residents to remain calm while maintaining vigilance, adding that safety inspectors would increase compliance monitoring and support visits across the state.
He further advised that any suspected case involving severe fever or unexplained illness should be isolated immediately and reported through the Lagos State health emergency hotlines: 08023169485, 08033565529, or 07000SAFETY.
The precautionary measures come amid concerns over an Ebola outbreak affecting parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Reports indicate that health authorities and international partners are working to contain the disease following dozens of deaths linked to the outbreak.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating is a severe and often fatal form of Ebola.
The WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 43 confirmed deaths across the affected countries as of May 30, including 42 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one in Uganda. The agencies also disclosed that hundreds of suspected deaths were under investigation.
Health experts say Ebola is believed to originate from fruit bats and can spread to humans through direct contact with infected animals or bodily fluids from infected persons.
Nigeria’s current preparedness efforts are informed by the country’s successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which began when an infected traveller arrived in Lagos.
Through intensive surveillance, contact tracing, and coordinated public health interventions, authorities were able to stop the disease from spreading widely.
Officials say lessons learned from that experience have significantly strengthened Nigeria’s disease surveillance and emergency response systems, which remain on alert as a precaution against the latest regional outbreak.
