The German Ambassador to Ghana, Christoph Retzlaff, has hinted that Ghana’s increasing Covid-19 case could change the country’s travel standing under Germany’s travel ban list. 

Already, South Africa, Brazil and five other countries have been placed under a temporary travel ban by the Federal Government of Germany.

“The discovery of the new variant in Ghana might change the country’s standing. We are following the numbers closely and we update the capital on a weekly basis so this might change but I can’t predict at the moment,” he told Charles Ayitey in an exclusive interview with Joy Business.

All Ghanaians seeking a visa to the Federal Republic of Germany will be accepted on three grounds - health emergency, schooling or family relations. 

This decision was taken effective February 2021 as part of austere measures to contain the spread of the South African variant of Covid-19 in Germany.

“All Tourist Visas are not issued at the moment. The only circumstances when you can travel to Germany is when you have a medical emergency, if you are studying in Germany and your presence there is indispensable or if you have a very close family in Germany,” he stated.

According to UNICEF’s Ghana COVID-19 Situation Report, Ghana experienced a sharp increase in the number of confirmed cases of SARS-COV2 (coronavirus) in January 2021.

As of 31^st January, the number of confirmed cases since the outbreak stood at 67,010 (an increase of 12,239 in the course of the month).

Eighty-four people were reported to have died as a result of COVID-19 in January 2021, taking the total number of lives lost to 416 since the first official cases were recorded in Ghana in March 2020.

Covid-19 relief to Ghana

Ghana has, since May 2020, received a 25 million euros worth of Covid-19 relief package from the Federal Republic of Germany.

The German Ambassador to Ghana, Christoph Retzlaff, told my colleague, Charles Ayitey, that his government also advanced credit lines through a cooperation with Stanbic to SMEs with over 120 benefiting from the package. 

Even as Ghana is expecting the first batch of vaccines in the months ahead, Christoph Retzlaff hints that the country [Ghana] is on the priority list of allies being supported by the German government.

Ghana is among 145 counties listed to receive vaccines from a number of suppliers through the COVAX Facility according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the facility’s interim distribution document on February 3, 2021, the vaccine is expected to be administered to persons in key sectors such as health workers in the first quarter.