Ghana is safe, coronavirus under check – KIA rebuts unscanned travellers claims

Port Health authorities at the Kotoka International Airport have reiterated assurances about safe mechanisms at the country’s sole entry point for travellers across the globe.

Reacting to an earlier report carried out by local news outlets, Head of Port Health at the Kotoka International Airport, Gideon Akwei dispelled the allegations and submissions made by some Ghanaian students in China stating that they were not checked upon entry.

The students intimated that they were given an ‘easy pass’, only being made to fill a questionnaire at the arrival terminal.

“I just passed. I wasn’t quarantined. I just filled some questionnaire; the Chinese are rather being separated from the rest. I think they will call us back later,” a student explained in a conversation on WhatsApp.

But Mr. Akwei explained that the questionnaire the students filled were actually ‘Health Declaration Forms’ which was a mandatory measure recommended by the World Health Organisation.

He stressed that the forms were to aid personnel from the Ministry of Health locate any entrant who starts to manifest symptoms of the novel coronavirus after incubation period.

Additionally, he noted that there were thermal scanners installed at the entry points of the airport upon arrival which is used to screen travellers in order to monitor their temperatures.

“…we don’t do physical checks… then the second one is, the thermal scanner will monitor your temperature. If your temperature is above the threshold it will show red, and that is the time we will isolate you. Then politely we will take you to our holding room/bay at the arrival hall.”

Asked what happened to travellers with relatively higher temperatures, the Port Health director intimated that paramedic personnel from the Ridge Hospital are alerted to quickly whisk them away for further checks and tests to be run.



He insisted that all passengers, no matter their class and race were equally screened with the enhanced checks in place at the airport to prevent any anomaly.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Ghana’s West African neighbour has recorded it’s first case of the coronavirus.

The Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the positive test of coronavirus in Nigeria, Friday morning, in a statement signed by Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health according to the Nigerian Daily Post.