KLM passenger to Accra praises Ghana’s mandatory coronavirus quarantine regime

A Ghanaian passenger aboard a KLM flight which arrived in Accra on Saturday night, has revealed how all passengers aboard the flight have been quarantined by the government upon their arrival at the Kotoko International Airport.

Saturday night's KLM flight was one of the final flights into the country as the government of Ghana has announced the closure of all borders; land, air and sea to human traffic effective midnight on Sunday.

Announcing the closure, President Akufo-Addo disclosed that all passengers on flights which would arrive in the country ahead of the deadline would be quarantined and tested, and the revelation by the passenger confirms government's implementation of the drastic measure.

The KLM passenger also revealed that all those quarantined are waiting to be tested and their status will determine whether they will be released by the state to join their families or they will be kept in further isolation for medical attention.

"Hi guys, my name is Shirley Langdon and I arrived on KLM last night in Accra. We got to the Airport and we were told that we had to be mandatorily quarantined because the government had put in place a mandatory quarantine for all passengers arriving from outside," the passenger said in an audio broadcast which has gone viral.

The passenger added that even though it is not convenient for anyone to arrive into their own country and not head straight home to their families, she understood the situation, adding that she was impressed by the manner in which the government has handled the process under the current circumstance.

"I just want to say that now we are in a hotel (I don't know if I am supposed to give a name) but I must say that I am quiet impressed with the arrangement that has been put in place.

"It's not convenient for anyone; you get into your country and you want to go home. But it was managed such that you're screened at the airport and you pick your bags."

"They have this Ghana Armed Forces buses that pick all the passengers and all the bags are put in a cargo truck."

"Once they have all the passengers from that particular flight and all the bags, you are then all moved to the hotel. Once you are there, you are given a room and you're supposed to stay in there."

"Its been okay I must say. The hotel I'm in is quiet nice actually. We would be given breakfast; they would knock on your door and put it there.

"I expect that we would get tested at some point sooner or later and the depending on the result, you'll be released."

After stating all the procedures the passengers went through and how they were handled, the KLM passenger then commended the government for its efforts in the battle to contain the spread of the virus, as well as the the logistics it has put in place.

"I must commend the Ghana government. I think that they have put out all the logistical support to help this country and I think it is better for the government to provide support to a certain number of passengers even if it is a thousand than to try and provide support for over 26 million people," she said.

"I think they are doing a good job and we should be appreciative of them."

The government has put in place many measures to curb the spread of the virus since Ghana recorded its first Coronavirus case last week.

So far, only a few of Ghana's confirmed Coronavirus cases have been locally transmitted, and the government's decision to completely close down all of the country's ports of entry in its latest measure announced by President Akufo-Addo last week, is to stop further importation of the virus into the country.