Following the announcement that the Kotoka International Airport will be open to receive international travellers by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday night, the Ministry of Information will on Monday, August 31, 2020, hold a press conference to give further details outlined for the reopening and operations of the airport.
The press conference which will be held at the airport will see the Ministry of Information, Aviation Ministry, Ministry of Health and other related agencies give a holistic overview of the new order of operations at the airport and the processes travellers going and coming through the airport will have to pass through.
“I am glad to announce that the Kotoka International Airport will resume operations on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. This has been communicated to all international airlines,” the president said.
The press conference will stream live on www.ghanaweb.com.
Government has already announced that every passenger arriving in the country must possess proof of a negative PCR test issued by an accredited facility from their country of departure.
They will also be required to take a rapid Antigen test upon arrival at the upper arrival section of KIA’s Terminal 3.
Passengers are to bear the cost of the COVID-19 test, estimated between ¢250-¢500.
The testing measure according to government is to eliminate the need for arriving passengers to be quarantined in hotels, a measure described as costly for both government and individual passengers to bear.
On the other hand, the nation’s land and sea borders still remain closed to travellers wanting to come or exit the country.
Below are some guidelines so far announced by government ahead of the KIA reopening.
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; and
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.