COVID-19: Ghana reopens all its land and sea borders after two years

Ghana has reopened its land and sea borders two years after closing them as a COVID-19 preventive measure.

This was announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 28th COVID-19 Update as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

“As from tomorrow, Monday, 28th March, all land and sea borders will be opened," President Akufo-Addo saif.

"Fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry through the land and sea borders without a negative PCR test result from the country of origin. Citizens and foreign residents in Ghana, who are not fully vaccinated, will have to produce a negative 48-hour PCR test result, and will be offered vaccination on arrival.”

Background

In a March 21, 2020, update on the status of measures put in place to help minimise the spread of COVID-19, the President suggested the need for Ghana’s borders to be closed.

Consequently, he ordered the closure of Ghana's land, sea, and air borders to human traffic, effective midnight, March 22, 2020.

The air borders were later opened on September 1, 2020, and subsequently the sea borders.

However, despite several appeals to the government by lawmakers from the land border communities for the borders to be opened, the government had argued that opening the borders would lead to the importation of COVID-19 cases.