The Management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, says passengers who arrive at the Kotoka International Airport are supposed to pay a $150 fee for a mandatory PCR test.
Justifying the charges at a Press conference organised by the Airports company, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye said the fee is reasonable, compared to what pertains in other countries.
He intimated that the measures put in place will help prevent the importation of the virus into the system.
“We want to ensure that we don’t go back to high numbers in terms of the case count so as a concerned Ministry, we insisted on having a safe reopening of our international airports. And we are happy to say that so far the measures that have been put in place do guarantee a very safe airport. That’s because we have mechanisms that are able to identify and pick persons with the virus. As mentioned yesterday, Sunday, August 30, 202] by President Akufo-Addo, it is well established that our first cases came from outside the country and COVID-19 is not an endemic disease.”
“It came from other places and so far the single biggest source of risk of getting the virus into the country is our international airport and that is why as a ministry we are glad to say the measures put in place do guarantee safe reopening. We have gone for a testing regime that identifies the virus, and also a person who arrives in Ghana must possess a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not less than 72-hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin. Meaning before you even embark on your journey, you have a negative test result,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 480 PCR tests are expected to be conducted in an hour.
Persons who test positive for COVID-19 after arrival will be held at the Ga East Hospital.