President Akufo-Addo has stated that despite the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) land borders across Ghana remain closed until further notice.
He made this known in his 16th update on measures being taken to curb coronavirus in Ghana.
Addressing the nation on Sunday night August 30, 2020, he said, “for the avoidance of doubt, our borders, by land and sea, will continue to remain closed to human traffic until further notice.”
He said KIA will reopen from Tuesday, September 1, 2020.
According to him, “Day-in-day-Out, countries, including our own, institute measures to try to limit and contain the spread of the virus, and return lives to normalcy. Some of these measures have been successful, others have not worked, with some countries now experiencing hikes in infection rates and the emergence of what is referred to as a second wave of the virus.”
He stated that “Indeed, since 31st May, when Government decided to embark on a strategic, controlled, progressive, and safe easing of restrictions in the country, so as to get our lives and economy back to normal in safety, we have continued to witness low hospitalisation and low death rates.”
He added that “It has been well-established that the very first cases of Covid19 in Ghana were imported into our shores.”
Mr. Akufo-Addo said “We are determined to make sure this scenario does not recur.”
According to the President, “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.”
“That is why the following measures have been taken and duly communicated to airlines wishing to resume flights to Ghana:
a. 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,” he said.
The test should have been done not more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin, he added.
All airlines have been instructed to ensure compliance with the directive for all passengers wishing to travel to Ghana, and those airlines who fail in this regard will he duly sanctioned, according to him.
“b. disembarking passengers must do so by wearing face masks.”
“c. Upon disembarking from the airplane, each passenger will undergo a mandatory Covid-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger.”
By Melvin Tarlue