Travellers to Ghana to pay US$150 for COVID-19 test

The government says all travellers coming to Ghana by air will have to pay US$150 for COVID-19 testing – just one measure to help control the spread of the disease in the country.

The mandatory testing of all passengers arriving in Ghana, which becomes effective today, Tuesday 1 September, is among directives outlined by the Ministry of Aviation and Health aiming to prevent the importation of the disease.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, Dr Benard Okoe Boye, deputy minister of health, said the sum charged is a good bargain, as“nothing is more expensive than contracting COVID-19 itself”.

He said the decision was taken after assessing levies set by other countries such as China, Togo and Zimbabwe.

“We looked at what is being charged across the globe. So when you go to a place like Zimbabwe, you pay about $210 for a test. In China, you pay about US$150 for a test and they are even doing PCR which is a very good test that identifies the virus itself.

“But in China, after paying $150, you have to wait for about six hours on average before you get results. Also remember that anyone coming into Ghana must have a negative PCR test and, on average, in Europe, if you enter a lab to do that, it is about €100,” Dr Okoe Boye said.

Waiting times

He added: “Here at the airport, we are interested in two things: the test must be very specific and sensitive, which means it must tell us if you have the virus, and if it says it is negative then you pose no threat to Ghanaians.

“We were also interested in how long it takes to get the results. And with these two indicators, we now had to decide whether US$150 of having the two most important requirements met is reasonable or not.”

Dr Okoe Boye said a percentage of the revenue generated from testing would go into the development and maintenance of the airport.

Exemptions

Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the director general of the Ghana Health Service, said Ghanaians who travel outside the country and return in less than a week will be exempted from having a negative PCR test result.

Travellers who test positive on arrival in Ghana will be taken to the Ga East Municipal Hospital for treatment, he said.

“For arriving passengers … you must have a negative PCR test result of at most 72 hours before you enter the country. Ghanaians who travel for meetings and return in less than a week or within a week will be exempted from having a negative PCR test results.

“Persons who get down in Ghana and test positive, port health officials will take over and assist you through Immigration to prevent any further contamination. There is a holding room you will be sent to and your items will be sent to you, and then all of them will be sent to the Ga East Hospital,” he said.

Measured response

Outlining measures taken by the managers of Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Yaw Kwakwa, managing director of Ghana Airports Company Ltd (GACL), said there would be strict enforcement of wearing of face masks within the facility and among passengers.

“When someone arrives in Ghana, it is mandatory for any airline arriving in Ghana to ensure that passengers have a face mask on. But we know that some of our people will be coming from afar … and so when you land at KIA and you come through the passenger boarding gate, we’ll give you a fresh face mask,” he said.

Kwakwa said other measures put in place to curb the spread of the disease include placing sanitation stations at vantage points, frequent disinfection of the facility, and enforcement of social distancing among workers and travellers.

No more pets

“Because of social distancing, people will be limited from entering the airport and therefore if you do not have any business at the airport, you will not be allowed in,” Kwakwa said. He added that pets would no longer be allowed to accompany their owners.

Kwakwa also encouraged travellers to make use of online check-in to reduce congestion at the airport. He further urged travellers to arrive four hours before their scheduled flights.

In his 16th address to the nation, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo unveiled the further easing of restrictions on movement imposed to contain the spread of the virus.

He announced that KIA would open to international traffic from Tuesday 1 September, amid strict measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers at the airport.

President Akufo-Addo also said the country’s borders by sea and land would remain closed.

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