First batch of passengers arrive at Kotoka Airport after reopening

The airport was closed in March in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, but was officially reopened to international traffic yesterday.

This followed an earlier announcement by President Akufo-Addo during his 16^th national address on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President also visited the Kotoka International Airport to inspect work ahead of its reopening.

Akufo-Addo inspects work at Kotoka Airport ahead of reopening Pulse Ghana

Passengers arriving from other countries are, however, required to pay a fee of $150 for a mandatory PCR COVID-19 test.

The PCR test takes between 15 to 30 minutes for the result to be out and is a quicker way of knowing the COVID-19 status of arriving passengers.

“We are residents of Ghana but have had to stay out for this long because of border closures. So it is great news that we are coming back,” a passenger who arrived on Tuesday is quoted as saying by Citinewsroom.

“We have subjected ourselves to immigration and port health officials for the necessary protocols. We were tested before we came but we are still going to quarantine.”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Yaw Kwakwa, has played down fears that the airport could get overwhelmed with passengers.

He explained that passengers will not be held up for long at the airport, insisting 480 tests can be done within just 15 minutes.

“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,” Mr. Kwakwa added.