In-bound ECOWAS nationals arriving at the Kotoka International Airport, beginning on Monday February 1, will pay US$50 for the COVID-19 test carried out on all arriving passengers.

The amount is US$100 less of the US$150 that Frontier Healthcare, the service providers, have been charging for the mandatory test on the Upper Arrival Hall of Terminal 3.

The Cost of the test for non-ECOWAS nationals, however, still remains US$150 per passenger.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who announced the new cost of the antigen test carried on at KIA during his 23rd address to the nation, said the decision follows an agreement reached during the recent ECOWAS Heads of State and Government summit held virtually.

“At the 58th Summit of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, held virtually, it was agreed that the cost of the COVID test for in-bound ECOWAS nationals be pegged at fifty United States dollars ($50) at the Kotoka International Airport. The cost of the test for non-ECOWAS nationals still remains one hundred and fifty ($150) dollars,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Total number of active COVID-19 cases currently stands at 5,358, with 416 deaths. Average daily rates of infection now stand at 700.

By the country’s policy, all international arrivals, including those from the ECOWAS region, are required to meet specific health protocols before admission into Ghana. An arriving passenger must not have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, with body temperature not exceeding 38 degrees Celsius.

The passenger is also required to possess a negative PCR test result, done at most 72 hours before departure, from a certified lab in the country of departure. The passengers are made to complete a form and the then proceed to the sampling cubicle for their samples to be taken before descending to the main arrival hall.

“ECOWAS nationals and travelers, who test positive for COVIS-10, according to President Akufo-Addo, will bear the cost of the mandatory isolation and treatment.

Ghanaian nationals, however, who test positive, upon their arrival into the country, will have their isolation and treatment costs borne by the State,” President Akufo-Addo said.