Coronavirus: Government begins third phase disinfection of KIA

As part of the country’s efforts to fight the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic, the Ministry of Aviation (MoA) and Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) on Monday, December 14, 2020, evening began the third phase of disinfection exercise at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The two-hour exercise, which was carried out from 9:30 p.m.,-11:30 p.m., covered facilities at Terminal 1 and 2 and all its open spaces. These facilities included restaurants, washrooms, arrival and departure halls, tarmac among others.

Addressing journalists prior to the exercise, General Manager (GM) of Vector Control Services of Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), Rev. Ebenezer Kwame Addae, said the move was to augment the quarterly disinfections at the country’s airports and keep them safe for users.

“We are carrying out these regular disinfection exercises at the country’s airports to keep them safe from the COVID-19, and also repose confidence in passengers travelling in and outside the country,” he said.

On why the disinfection was done in the evening, he explained that it was to avoid interruptions in the activities of the airport authorities.

According to Rev Addae, COVID-19 was real, and that there was no need for the country to lose its guard in its quest to this fight this invisible enemy.

“Any complacency in the fight against the virus will cost the nation. And that is something we must strongly guard against,” he urged.

In addition to the quarterly disinfection, he said the airport authorities at KIA also had a programme where they do dusting and disinfection on a daily basis.

“They also strictly enforce all the COVID-19 protocols at the airport,” he added.

The GM of Vector Control Services, ZGL, indicated that all these were part of an integrated approach employed by his outfit and government to match the virus “boot for boot.”

Rev. Addae however, disclosed that KIA Terminal 3 which deals with international flights will take its turn of the disinfection on midnight of Wednesday, December 16, 2020.

“We will be doing Terminal 3 on Wednesday, [December 16, 2020] at 12:00 midnight, which time will allow us space to disinfect all its facilities,” he said.

Disinfection equipment deployed for the exercise included loads of knapsack sprayers, three foggers, two mechanical sweepers and one atomiser.

It would be recalled that the third phase of airport disinfection began on Friday, December 11, 2020, at the Kumasi Airport. The exercise formed part of the government’s commitment to curb the spread of the COVID-19.