*FREETOWN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, GETS ADDITIONAL COVID 19 TESTING LABORATORY*
*Tuesday, 24th November, 2020.*
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) in collaboration with NARCOVERC and communication giant Orange SL Ltd has constructed a new and spacious COVID-19 laboratory pillar at the Freetown International Airport, Lungi. The aim is to have arriving passengers go through Airport health formalities in a timely and efficient manner.
Since resumption of Air Services, passengers arriving at the Freetown International Airport have been going through this testing regime. The Airport COVID-19 testing arrangements are Aviation friendly and has played a huge role in removing quarantine rules. COVID 19 test which if not negative, alerts the country system for onward passenger health referral and contact tracing. This has supported the recovery of the sector and promoting border health requirements of the state.
*“This is indeed a remarkable progress for Port Health, as we are having an additional molecular laboratory at the airport, and have made tremendous strides in improving our preparedness and response capacity to disease outbreaks. This will cater for the slight passenger increase during the festive season. We will continue to build on these gains to have a self-reliant network of local expertise and functional facilities”* said the General Manager *Mr. Jack D. K. Massaquoi.*
MoHS officials attached to the Airport Lab, have observed that quality laboratory diagnostics are paramount in achieving efficiency in disease surveillance. The laboratory systems allows for early confirmation and prompt response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the laboratory testing capacity serves daily passenger traffic . Average passenger throughput peaks during the month of November to January which makes the construction of the new facility apt and timely.
The Head of Operations SLAA *Lawrence B. Conteh* noted that *“the ultimate goal of Management and its partners is to build a resilient health screening system that better protects airport users as well as staff from contacting and spreading the disease”.*
* SLAA PUBLIC RELATIONS*
