COVID-19 Protocols ‘Missing’ At KIA

Many of those who frequent the ‘meet and greet section’ of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) do not adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

This is in spite of government’s directive that people should wear the face masks in public and also observe the protocols of washing of hands with soap under running water.

Apart from the main arrival and departure halls, where adherence to the prescribed safety protocols are being strictly enforced, the rules are not being enforced at the waiting areas.

Observation

A week of monitoring by the Daily Graphic at the airport revealed that a number of people, made up of security officers, airport staff, shop attendants, drivers of car rental companies, passengers, relatives and loved ones who come to the meet and greet section, went about their businesses without observing the protocols.

But, the Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Mr Yaw Kwakwa, in response, said the anomalies had come to the notice of the management of the airport and it had subsequently instituted measures to address them.


The Graphic also observed that few others wore face masks but even then, some of them had the masks below their nose or on the chin.

There was also another category of people with the mask but it was either in their pockets or in their hands.

This happened even as loud public speakers repeatedly boomed with announcement reminding people of the safety protocols and the need to observe them.


Physical distancing

Observance of physical distancing was virtually non-existent at the meet and greet area.


The sitting arrangement gave no room for people to create the required one-metre space that must be left between seats.

The physical distancing inscriptions or seat markers on the visitors’ seats when the airport was reopened in September last year have all faded, giving patrons the laxity to disregard the social distancing rule.

Public address system

Another observation was, when passengers got to the arrival hall, they had their masks on, but removed them as soon as they began to interact with people or received phone calls at the meet and greet section.

Public transport drivers, also trying to attract the attention of prospective passengers, called out to them without their masks on.

Apart from the announcement put out on the public address system, the Daily Graphic did not observe any other inscription at the meet and greet section encouraging people to comply with the safety protocols, despite the fact that the section served as the meeting place for a larger number of people — those travelling and visitors.

There was also no incidence of an airport official or security officers instructing people to comply with the protocols during the seven days’ observation period, as security officers, especially the military officers, were the worst offenders.

GACL response

Mr Kwakwa said some of the measures to ensure compliance at the public section included procurement of new seat markers and extension of the duty of the COVID-19 Protocols Enforcement Team to the public areas.

“The safety of our passengers remains a priority. As part of measures towards the resumption of operations on September 1, 2020, a COVID-19 Protocols Enforcement Team was put in place”.

“You will notice that most seat markers have fallen off due to heavy usage. We have initiated processes to produce new seat markers for the public area,” the MD of KIA intimated.

Enforcement team

Mr Kwakwa explained that the objective for setting up the enforcement team was to monitor and ensure total compliance of all laid down KIA COVID-19 Health and Safety protocols by passengers and airport stakeholders inside the terminal building (restricted areas).

The enforcement team, made up of GACL staff and stakeholders such as airlines, Immigration Service, ground handlers, Customs and retail concessionaires, was also to identify lapses and make recommendations that would help in the prevention of COVID-19 infection at the airport.

“The role of the enforcement team is to ensure compliance of the protocols at the airport by ensuring the wearing of nose masks, social distancing, use of hand sanitiser and handwashing.”

The KIA MD said the challenge the enforcement team faced now was the wanton disregard for social distancing seat markers affixed to the seats at the public area.

Context

This has come up at a time there are reports of an alarming rate of positive COVID-19 cases being recorded at the airport, compelling the government to implement new guidelines to curtail the influx of positive cases arriving in the country.

Available data have it that 75 positive cases were recorded at the airport on April 24, exceeding the previous highest rate of 45 positive cases on April 21.

Public announcement

On April 29, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration announced that in view of the alarming rate of infections of COVID-19 in some parts of the world, especially in Asia and South America, the Ghana Health Service had advised the general public to either cancel or postpone all non-essential travels to countries with an exceedingly high COVID-19 infection rate.

The ministry said should there be the need for any Ghanaian to travel to any of these countries, they must adhere strictly to all safety protocols, while advising all arriving passengers who tested negative for COVID-19 at the airport to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival.

Also, passengers arriving from designated COVID-19 hot spots who test negative at the airport may be subjected to a repeat test on the third day of arrival at their cost.

 

By: graphiconline