Back To Ghana

 

Although a lot of the world is hunkering down, and with good reason, I am in Ghana. I have had a lot of second thoughts…not about being here, none at all about that…but about posting that I am here. There is so much intense feeling on the part of many people in my circle about the dangers of the current pandemic that in all candor I did not want to expose myself to their judgments by making too big a deal about what I was up to. But so much progress has been made that it seems a shame to not be posting about it.

 

As Theodora Project has grown and progressed, a number of issues in Ghana screamed out for attention…in person, live attention. But Ghana’s borders were closed and there was no way to get there. As that country got control of its contagion, it began to consider how to create an opening to the world to revive the kind of interaction needed for economic stability. Finally at the end of August, the country opened up its only international airport with an ingenious system. It invested heavily into the capability to do rapid testing to passengers upon arrival. It initiated a system that required incoming visitors to be tested in there county of origin 72 hours before you flew to Ghana (you have to show a copy of your test report or the airlines will literally not let you on the plane). Then upon arrival, you are immediately given another test (costs you $150). You get the result in about 45 minutes. Get your bags and are on your way. Then before you leave, you have to have another test done 72 hours before your departure.

 

There was a lot of gnashing of teeth, frustration and fear before I left trying to figure out how I was going to get the test done within the allotted time and still get the result before I flew with most of the labs in our area promising 2 to 3 day results and my losing 10 hours of time window since my official flight was from Chicago not Albuquerque. Further, I was not able to get my hands on the actual lab report. The report was sent to my doctor and only the results were recorded on a patient portal website. Much calling to doctor and the labs ensued (while I was actually on my way from Albuquerque to Chicago. I got lab reports but they had the wrong time. But in the end I showed them the documentation from the patient portal whose date was not the lab date but the date the lab report was received. It proved to be perfectly acceptable. I feel the airline people who are forced to do these check-ups can’t possibly know all the variations on what lab reports look like. As long as there is a negative test, a legitimate lab name, and a date within their parameters, they are happy.

 

Business class on my flights from Chicago to Paris and then from Paris to Accra, Ghana were virtually empty so no problem social distancing there! When I arrived in Ghana, they didn’t even look at the test papers. They just put me through their on the spot test. It was done with well done effectiveness. Within an hour and half of touching down, I was in my apartment. I was back in Ghana.