Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport will be re-opened to international flights effective Tuesday, September 1, 2020.
This was announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his 16th address to the nation on measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
According to him, every passenger who arrives in the country must possess proof of a negative PCR test.
“I am glad to announce that Kotoka International Airport will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, 1st September 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines across the world.,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo also stated that, “It has been well-established that the very first cases of COVID-19 in Ghana were imported into our shores. We are determined to make sure this scenario does not recur. The commitment to ensuring that the gradual easing of restrictions, including the reopening of our airports, does not lead to the importation or resurgence of the virus into our country, is firmly in place.’
He further noted that the government has therefore put in place a number of guidelines to ensure that no case is imported into the country.
The guidelines include;
1. Any passenger arriving in Ghana must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not more than seventy-two (72) hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin. All airlines have been instructed to ensure compliance with this directive for all passengers wishing to travel to Ghana, and those airlines who fail in this regard will be duly sanctioned;
2. disembarking passengers must do so wearing face masks;
3. upon disembarking from the aeroplane, each passenger will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger. The test result will be available within thirty (30) minutes;
4. children under the ages of five (5) will not be required to undergo testing at the airport
5. passengers, who test positive for COVID-19, will be handled by the health authorities for further clinical assessment and management;
6. passengers, who test negative, can, thereupon, enter Ghana to go about their lawful activities, and will be advised to continue to observe COVID-19 safety precautions during their stay in Ghana.
Meanwhile, the country’s land and sea borders remain closed.
When were Ghana’s borders closed?
Ghana’s air, sea and land borders were closed on Sunday, March 22, 2020, following an order by President Akufo-Addo as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
At the time, the country had only recorded 21 cases of the novel disease.
The initial closure was to last for two weeks according to President Nana Akufo-Addo but was extended.
In announcing the closure, the President said: “All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday, March 22, 2020”.
The closure did not apply to goods, supplies and cargo.
Meanwhile, Ghana as of Sunday, August 30, 2020, has recorded 44,205 cases with 42,777 recoveries and 276 deaths.
Ghana’s current active case stands at 1,152.
