All adults arriving in Ghana must be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Ghana Health Service’s modified entry requirements.
“The current increase in cases together with the detection of the Omicron variant among international arrivals and the expected Increase during the festive season call for urgent actions to prevent a major surge in COVID-19 cases in Ghana,” GHS explained in a statement.
According to the GHS, from midnight of December 12, 2021, “all persons 18 years and above arriving in Ghana will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination for a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Formerly, adults arriving in Ghana needed to show evidence of a 72-hour negative PCR test prior to their travel, complete a Health Declaration Form and take an antigen test at the Kotoka International Airport.
While stating that these previous requirements still stand, the GHS said it has become imperative to include evidence of full vaccination for adults arriving in Ghana because of the increasing COVID-19 positive cases being recorded at KIA.
“In November 2020, 168 cases were detected compared to 241 in November 2021, an increase of over 40%. We have since been recording an average of 20 positive cases a day at KIA,” the Ghana Health Service said in a statement dated Thursday, December 9, 2021.
Concerning the new rule for entry into Ghana, the GHS has explained that unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents of Ghana who are currently outside the country and intend to return within 14 days from the midnight of December 12, 2021, are exempted.
They would, however, be vaccinated on arrival at the airport, GHS said.
READ ALSO: South Korea slaps entry ban on Ghana over Omicron
Last week, Ghana's foremost biomedical research facility, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, disclosed that 34 cases of the Omicron COVID-19 have been detected during tests at its lab in Accra.
The health alert by Noguchi explained that these 34 cases of the new variant were detected in some 120 samples collected from returning travellers between November 21 and 25, 2021.
“These are the first imported cases of the variant into Ghana, and we are closely monitoring its potential spread in the local population,” Noguchi said on its official Twitter handle.
Below is the statement by the GHS explaining the new rules for entry into Ghana.
