All COVID-19 restrictions removed “Airport, border protocols also gone”

With effect from Saturday, May 20, 2023, all limitations placed at the nation’s points of entry as part of attempts to stop the importation and local spread of COVID-19 have been abolished.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of worldwide concern on May 5, 2023, which forms the basis for the national COVID-19 Task Force’s decision.

According to the WHO, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has a high level of community immunity, which has led to a decline in the number of deaths and hospitalizations worldwide.

The relaxation of the limitations in Accra was announced last Saturday by Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

He clarified the situation in an interview with the Daily Graphic, stating that the decision had also been supported by the country’s consistent drop in COVID-19 instances during the previous five months.

According to him, it was decided at the most recent national COVID-19 Task Force meeting on May 17, 2023, based on the state of the world and the country, that “pre-departure testing and test at all points of entry are no longer a requirement for all passengers,” and that “COVID-19 health declaration form for international travelers has been suspended” as of May 20, 2023.

But according to Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, some moderate actions, like the national immunization campaign, would continue to be possible and would shield the populace from COVID infections.

People with fever, cough, and sore throat symptoms will be tested for the flu and COVID-19 at the GHS sentinel sites located throughout the continent’s 16 regions, according to Dr. Kuma-Aboagye.

“We will continue to use surveillance to find any new COVID variations of concern.

The general population is expected to uphold safety precautions like washing their hands with soap and water or sanitizing them with alcohol.

“People should go to the closest medical facility for treatment if they have a fever, cough, or sore throat.

People who test positive for COVID-19 must be treated according to established standards, the doctor advised.

Providing a highlight on the national burden, he said there had been a sustained decline of COVID-19 cases in the country over the past five months.

“As of May 15, 2023, there were only 18 active cases, none of which is severe or critical.

The only COVID-19 death in 2023 was in January.

“Since January 2023, we have had 187,089 international passengers.

More than 98 per cent of these passengers were either fully vaccinated or persons less than 18 years who were exempted from testing based on our national guidelines.

As a result, only 3,890 passengers were required to be tested, out of which 24 were positive.

“As of May 10, 2023, more than 13.5 million persons had received at least a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 10.5 million persons were fully vaccinated.

Additionally, 4.5 million persons have taken vaccine boosters,” he said.

Although COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to global health, the WHO stated that it is now time for nations to shift from emergency mode to managing the condition alongside other infectious diseases.

Emergencies

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye claimed that since COVID-19 was deemed a public health emergency of worldwide significance, the nation had experienced outbreaks of the Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, monkey pox, measles, and yellow fever.

He claimed that despite these dangers, the nation’s health systems had continued to function at a level that was adequate.

“With the help of our partners, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service will continue to ensure operational readiness and flexibility to respond during COVID-19 surges, while preserving other crucial health services and getting ready for the emergence of new variants with increased severity or capacity,” he said.

Background

The nation reported its first two cases of COVID-19, a virus that had decimated numerous economies throughout the globe, on March 12, 2020.

Less than 24 hours after the WHO declared the illness a global pandemic, a case was confirmed.

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