Ghana’s new COVID-19 protocols for international travels – Here’s what you need to know

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced new guidelines for international travellers amidst the surge in Covid-19 cases as a result of the newly discovered Omicron variant.

The new travel guidelines were made known through a statement signed by Dr Kumah Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

According to the statement, the new guidelines that have been introduced have been necessitated by the current increase in cases together with the detection of the Omicron variant among international arrivals and the expected increase during the festive season.

Since the discovery of the Omicron variant in November 2021, Ghana has recorded 34 cases out of which 75% of these cases were unvaccinated.

Dr Aboagye revealed that the Ghana Health Service has been recording an average of 20 positive cases a day at the Kotoka International Airport.

He added that “over the last two weeks, cases from the airport account for about 60% of the total cases recorded in the country.”

New Guidelines for All Travellers to Ghana

These are the new guidelines to be adhered to by all travellers who wish to enter Ghana during this festive season.

All Ghanaians travelling out of the country are expected to be fully vaccinated effective midnight 12^th December 2021.

If you happen to be travelling to Ghana from other countries, this is the guideline to follow.

1. All persons 18 years and above arriving in Ghana will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination for a COVID-19 vaccine.
2. All unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents of Ghana who are currently outside the country and intend to return within 14 days from midnight of 12^th December 2021 are exempted.

However, they would be vaccinated on arrival at the airport, GHS says.

Dr Kumah Aboagye also stated that other arrival requirements such as the 72-hour negative PCR test requirement prior to travel, the completion of the Health Declaration Form and the undergoing of Antigen test upon arrival in Ghana remain unchanged.

 How does the Ghana Health Service define full vaccination?

According to the Ghana Health Service, for you to be considered fully vaccinated in Ghana, you should have taken the full dose of vaccines approved and registered by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in Ghana.

In effect, you need two doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Sputnik V or one dose of Johnson and Johnson to be declared as fully vaccinated.

This report is produced under the project: COVID-19 Response in Africa: Together for Reliable Information being implemented with funding support from the European Union.