All passport application centres (PACs) across the country will re-open for business from Monday, May 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced.
Nonetheless, online applications can only be done from Wednesday, May 20.
These were contained in a press release issued by the Ministry on Thursday.
“The general public will be required to comply with the following measures intended to minimize the risk of exposure to the spread of the Covid-19 in consonance with the government’s directives,” the release noted.
Among the measures are ‘No Face Mask, No Entry’ and ‘No Hand Sanitizers, No Entry’.
This comes barely two months after the Ministry announced a suspension of operations due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
A notice on Thursday, March 19 said: “All PACs will remain closed for the next two (2) weeks or until such a time that the situation would be sufficiently safe for opening.”
Despite the ban on social gathering still in force and the country’s borders closed, government has given notice that life will return to normal soon but with new habits.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for instance, says all applicants as well as official visitors will undergo temperature screening before they are allowed entry into a PAC.
“Applicants and official visitors must wash their hands at vantage points of the premises before they are allowed into a PAC.
“Applicants and official visitors are required to adhere to strict social distancing measures adopted at the PACs and cooperate with officials of the passport office.”
Other directives would also be enforced to aid management of applicants and official visitors.
For instance, only applicants who have received notice of passport collection will be allowed into a PAC to collect their passports.
“People who are neither applicants nor official visitors are kindly advised to stay away from the PACs.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana