The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has amended COVID-19 safety protocols at airports in the wake of the second wave of the virus for both Ghanaian and non-Ghanaian travellers.
A Ghanaian who travels outside Ghana and returns within a week would not need to present a PCR test from the country of departure, however, such a person would undergo mandatory testing upon arrival in Ghana.
The said mandatory test at the airport would cost the traveller $50, ECOWAS citizens would also pay the same amount ($50) and passengers outside the ECOWAS sub-region are required to pay $150 to undergo the mandatory testing at the airport.
This was disclosed to the press by the Minister-designate for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in Accra.
He said the passport of the Ghanaian travellers, who would flout these directives, would be seized.
He added that such people would be handed over to state security agents and would be required to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine at a designated location and the airline and the passenger would pay the boarding cost.
He said Ghanaian travellers who arrive in Ghana and test positive for COVID-19 but follow the directive would be catered for by the state.
However, non-Ghanaians who arrive in the country and test positive for COVID-19 would undergo mandatory isolation and treatment at a designated health facility or isolation centre at the traveller’s expense, he said.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah added that non-Ghanaians who flout the directives would be refused entry or returned to the point of embarkation at the cost of the airline.
The Information Minister-designate disclosed that any airline who allowed passengers on board without PCR test or who disembark passengers with positive PCR test in Accra would be fined $3,500 per passenger.
He said passengers who are transiting through Accra would not be required to take the mandatory testing but would be required to adhere to COVID-19 testing requirements for the destination countries.
He said the crew of any airline who strictly follow COVID-19 testing protocols would be exempted, adding that children under five years would also be exempted.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said passengers who arrive under emergency circumstances such as diverted flights would not be required to undergo testing if they do not leave the airport or remain in isolation in their hotel rooms.
He said passengers who are departing from Ghana are required to test for COVID-19 before leaving the country. They will undergo temperature screening at the entrance of terminal 3 and they are advised to arrive at the airport four hours before departure time.
Constance Evans-Kekrebesi, ISD
