Following the reopening of air borders, management of the Ghana Airport Company says all passengers arriving in Ghana will pay a sum of $150 for a 30 minute PCR COVID-19 test.
Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited announced this development at press briefing held earlier today at the Kotoka International Airport.
President Akuffo-Addo during his 16th address to the nation on the since the outbreak of the virus announced that Ghana’s air borders will be open to international passenger traffic starting Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The President explained that government’s decision to re-open the airports is because public health officials can now conduct rapid test within thirty minutes. This is to ensure the isolation of passengers who might arrive in the country with the virus.
The slated fee for the PCR test has received various reactions from the Ghanaian people.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye has defended the $150 fee to be charged passengers arriving in Ghana.
According to him, the price is quite reasonable compared to global charges.
“As a ministry and a government who are stakeholders in the management of COVID-19, we were very much interested in the cost of the test. We wanted to make sure that the cost of the test will not put an unnecessary burden on the passenger. So we quickly looked at what is being charged across the globe. When you go to a place like Zimbabwe you will pay about $210 for the test. In China, you will pay about $150 for the test. In Togo and Benin you will pay about 150 euros and in Nigeria, it is 130 dollars but you will have to go to a hotel and lodge till the results are ready. With the turnaround time and accuracy of the test assured, we had to decide whether the $150 was enough to cover all the expenses. We finally agreed to peg it at that for now.”
He further noted that the new arrangement was very prudent as compared to the previous travel arrangements where passengers had to pay for a two-week accommodation to enable them quarantine while awaiting their test results.
The Ghana Airport Company is expecting to receive a total of 1200 passengers within its peak period after reopening. Concerns have however been raised about how the company will deal with the overflow of passengers and at the same time ensure accurate and swift COVID-19 testing.
Speaking on the issue, Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Yaw Kwakwa assured that 480 tests could be conducted within 15 minutes therefore, there is no cause for alarm.
He also assured that his outfit has the capacity for any overflow of passengers.
“Within 15 minutes we can test about 480 people. So taking into consideration all the odds of the maximum number of passengers we can have at a time and other factors, we have more than enough capacity.”
Follow Us
I’m Deborah Aba Narkoah. I’m an avid reader, writer and public speaker.
