Ghana’s main international airport is set to fine airlines $3,500 for every passenger found to be unvaccinated against Covid-19, or who test positive for the virus upon arrival, the airport’s operator said on Monday.
The rule comes into effect on Tuesday at Kotoka International Airport in the capital, Accra, and follows the country’s health ministry’s move last week to make vaccinations mandatory for all people entering Ghana.
The measure also comes after the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced a €75 million euro ($85 million) investment loan to support Ghana’s battle against the pandemic.
“Ghana has taken significant steps to manage the impact [of Covid-19] and to unlock long-term investment,” EIB President Werner Hoyer said in a statement on Monday.
Ghana broadened its vaccination program earlier this month ahead of a planned enforcement of the vaccine mandate for certain groups in January. This will cover government employees, health workers and students. Authorities also plan enlist more health workers to double the daily inoculation rate from the current 140,000. According to Reuters figures, only 5% of Ghana’s 30 million population have been vaccinated so far.
The country’s health service reported last week that Covid-19 cases recorded at Kotoka airport accounted for about 60% of total infections in the country.
Ghana is one of West Africa’s largest economies and a leading exporter of cocoa, gold and oil.
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