Accra, Dec 16, (dpa/GNA) – Ghana has introduced drastic new travel restrictions, in an attempt to fend off the substantially more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
People can now only enter the West African state by air or sea; entry by land has been banned for an indefinite period.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo justified the measures, which went into immediate effect, in a televised speech late Wednesday, by citing the threat of a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
“We are monitoring the level of threat of the disease and ongoing vaccinations in our neighboring countries, and as soon as we are satisfied that it is safe to do so, the borders will be open,” he said.
In Africa, more than 80 per cent of journeys are estimated to take place by land.
Strict rules are in force for arrivals at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport. Everyone must be fully vaccinated, have a negative PCR test no more than 72 hours old and undergo a new test upon entry.
This also applies to children from the age of 5, for whom unlike adults, the tests are free of charge.
Any passenger testing positive at the airport will be kept in isolation at a designated facility. Non-Ghanaians will only receive treatment at their own cost.
Dozens of cases have recently been detected at the airport, heightening fears that Omicron could soon sweep the country.
Ghana’s president also announced the establishment of a national vaccination institute, which, among other things, is to supervise the planned development of domestic vaccine production.
Ghana has recorded nearly 132,000 positive coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, of which 1,255 were fatal.
GNA