Head of Psychology of the University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo has cautioned staff of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) not to misconduct themselves as the airport is reopened tomorrow, September 1, 2020.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced on Sunday, August 30 that the KIA will resume operations but not without taking all precautionary measures to avoid importation of Coronavirus into the country.
”Fellow Ghanaians, I am glad to announce that Kotoka International Airport will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, 1st September 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines”, the President said.
KIA Reopening Rules
The President spelled out the rules to welcoming travelers into the country in his 16th nation address yesterday.
He said; It has been well-established that the very first cases of COVID-19 in Ghana were imported into our shores. We are determined to make sure this scenario does not recur. 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:
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.
The Ministries of Information, Health and Aviation, and their respective agencies – the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Airports Co. Ltd., and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority – will spell out in further detail the protocols surrounding the re-opening of our international airport, and the procedures to be adhered to by passengers arriving in Ghana at the COVID-19 media briefing tomorrow, Monday, 31st August. For the avoidance of doubt, our borders, by land and sea, will continue to remain closed to human traffic until further notice.
Warning Against Laxity
Prof. Joseph Osafo, speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, admonished the airport staff to strictly abide by the rules ensuring that no person that enters the country is given preferential treatment.
He warned the staff not to accept kickbacks or be lax in enforcing the rules.
“Government keeps learning the lesson and we keep applying data, science, experience to what is happening. But it is now left with implementation; that’s where the problem is. Someone told me that African is a country of policy farms; we ratify everything but it’s left with making it pragmatic. So, no staff at the airport lax the rules,” he stated.
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