The Ghana Health Service has disclosed that so far no positive case of COVID-19 has been recorded from any arrivals at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
About 300 passengers have been tested since the KIA resumed operations on September 1, 2020, after being closed to international traffic for about five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“So far we have not recorded any positive cases and that is our ultimate aim. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that people arrive here negative and truly negative,” the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said at a press briefing today, September 3, 2020.
In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after arrival, the person will be held at the Ga East Hospital.
As a precaution, arriving passengers must have a negative PCR test result which is not older than 72-hours.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye also defended the $150 testing fee and said, there has not been enough protest to warrant an adjustment of the price.
He noted that the investment in logistics for testing meant “the cost build-up is not going to be easy” and that the cost is “more about the value you are providing.”
This notwithstanding, he maintained that the price “is relatively cheap.”
“We’ve also not had any significant protest from anybody who feels that the cost is too much.”
Delayed vacation for some schools
Meanwhile, the Director of the GHS disclosed that secondary schools that recorded no cases of the virus will be allowed to vacate tomorrow, September 4, 2020, however, those with infections will have to wait.
“We are expecting that any school that did not experience any case can vacate and all go home. Any school that has not reported any positive cases in the last two weeks prior to the closure can also all go home.”
“However, if there is any school that reported any positive case, we will do some assessment of contacts and those contacts will have their vacation delayed,” he added.
