Reports from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on Monday, March 16, 2020, indicates that immigration officers were forced to bounce two Italian nationals trying to enter Ghana following official confirmation that Italy is the second-biggest hub of the deadly coronavirus Covid-19 in the world, after China.
The two reportedly arrived via an Air France aircraft which landed in the evening of Monday. Upon dismemberment, immigration officers flagged the two and refused them entry into Ghana.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong confirmed the incident saying the bouncing was in line with the government’s travel advisory following the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Last night I think there were two Italians who were coming from the epicentre and as we got the confirmation of the details, even though the aircraft was in the air, we had to make arrangements at the airport to ensure they do not get off the aircraft and they have been returned to their original destination,” Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah narrated.
“So although we are yet to hit the 1 pm deadline today, some soft enforcement has already commenced at our ports entry.”
On March 15, 2020 the Akufo Addo administration was forced to announce new travel directives for persons seeking entry into Ghana when it turned out that all the six officially confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ghana were “imported” from Europe and the United States.
The travel restrictions affect travellers from countries with more than 200 cases of Covid-19. Italy has over 20,000 cases at the moment, and it is the highest hub of Covid-19 in Europe.
Globally, Italy is only second to China (over 85,000 cases) where the deadly disease originated from.
Indeed, the terrifying prospect in Italy has forced the Italian government to put the country on a lockdown, banning flights into and out of Italy.
It is unclear how the two slipped through the lockdown.