Passengers arriving in the country for the ‘December in GH’ events must ensure to make the mandatory COVID-19 test payment online before they come to Ghana.
They must also complete the online health declaration form 24 hours before arriving in Ghana and have the PCR test not more than 72 hours before departure.
Those already vaccinated have to provide their vaccination cards on arrival into the country and at various events.
December has been a key month in the tourism sector, especially with a lot of high-profile events that bring thousands of people across the world to Ghana.
This year’s ‘December in GH’ event is expected to attract about 150,000 visitors into the country.
Some of the events which had been approved amid the COVID-19, included the Afrochella Festival which has Wizkid as the headline act, Rhythms on the Run Way, Taste of Ghana, Kwanzaa, Diaspora Transition, Takoradi Festival, and a host of others.
The events are also to complement the See-Ghana, Eat-Ghana, Wear-Ghana, and Feel-Ghana campaign, to showcase Ghana’s attractions such as cuisine, costume, and nightlife and forms part of the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative.
All guests to each event will be required to present COVID-19 vaccination cards before entry for all events that are going to be endorsed by GTA.
Speaking at a stakeholder meeting for the ‘December in GH’ events, Eric Prempeh, Customer Service Manager, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), said his outfit was ever ready to meet the demands during the festive season.
Assuring passengers arriving at the airport of a smooth process during the arrival, Eric Prempeh said all they had to do was to adhere to all the health guidelines or protocols for arriving and departing passengers on the website.
He noted, however, that with departure, no state protocol restricted departing passengers, but they must get the needed information from their airlines because the protocols kept changing globally.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Ekow Sampson, said the meeting was to engage stakeholders to find out their preparedness towards the events scheduled for the rest of the year.
He said the safety of patrons for the various events was paramount hence the engagements with the organizers to ensure that they follow all the protocols put out by the GTA and the National COVID-19 Task Force.
“Participants to events would have to provide their vaccination cards before entry, temperatures would be checked, guests aged five and above will be required to wear nose mask, there would be social distancing, hand sanitization stations would be provided, contactless ticketing will be done, as well as staff health screening,” he added.
Ms. Annabelle McKenzie, Manager, Beyond the Return Secretariat, said 60 different events had been endorsed and the secretariat was closely working with event organizers to ensure safety at all the venues.