Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye
Former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has hinted of a downward review of the cost of the mandatory COVID-19 test at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for travelers.
He said there had been some discussions with key players at the airport terminal on the issue.
Passengers are subjected to a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal at a cost of $150 to be borne by the passenger.
All international arriving passengers, including those from the ECOWAS region, are required to meet the basic health requirements prior to admission into Ghana.
Among the requirements are that passengers must not have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 including body temperature greater than 38 degree Celsius, passengers must possess a COVID -19 negative PCR test from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin, and the test should have been done not more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure time from the country of origin.
Again, airlines which board passengers without PCR test results or transport and disembark passengers with positive PCR test results into Accra will be fined US$3,500 per passenger.
The former Deputy Minister told Citi FM that he discussed with a key player at the airport, and the official said they were looking at all the factors.
“Previously, they were testing kids, between 5-12 years. They were to pay $150. As we speak, that has been cancelled. They will be tested, but they won’t pay. It is these same concerns from the public that influenced this. Constant discussions always have the potential to give you what you want,” he stated.
The COVID-19 guidelines for KIA became effective on September 21, 2020 after the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited announced the reopening of the airport.
“The original price quotation from the service provider started from $158, and he gave information to support that the test would cost $158 and on top of that, we could add anything that we wanted to add,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu