By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Sierra Leone is setting up its aviation industry to go all-out digital before it reopens its airspace. President Julius Maada Bio and the Director General of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, Moses Tiffa Baio both said on Tuesday that proper automated plans had to be put in place to prevent the importation of the coronavirus in the country.
“A broad inter-sectoral body will soon finalize rational, effective and affordable pre-arrival and departure protocols that are in consonance with the best practices elsewhere and WHO guidelines,” Bio announced on Tuesday.
Sierra Leone closed its airspace to commercial flights on March 23 amidst fears that people from abroad might bring the coronavirus with them into the country. A week later the country recorded its first case – a 37-year-old man who had arrived from France with Brussels Airlines on the 16 of March and was serving quarantine.
The aviation sector has been one of the hardest hit sectors across the world amidst the pandemic. The SLCAA Director General said that as much as they wanted to reopen they also wanted to be careful how they went about it.
“COVID-19 fight to a large extent has been national, so in as much we want to open the airport and our airspace and commercial travel, we are also mindful about not allowing our sector serve as vector to bring the coronavirus in to this country”, he said, while emphasising on plans to fully automate their operations at the airport.
“We have reviewed our business processes in a bid to automate it, especially when you look at the travelling experience; from arrival to departure we want to make sure it is fully automated,” Baio said.
“People are very stubborn with compliance, so only with technology can we enforce compliance. For example, for immigration purposes if we fix our e-gates, you wouldn’t have to interface with any immigration officer when you arrive. Your passport is just stamped and then you pass through,” he added.
In the early days of the virus in the country, the SLCAA struggled to respond to the challenges posed by the virus. Challenges like quarantine and contact-tracing characterised their early efforts.
Baio said they had learned from that and were engaging all stakeholders to ensure they put together a solid response plan.
“What is more key is contact-tracing, in a case when people arrive here and they later test positive. I am already in talks with different mobile companies that when we reopen, if there is an outbreak caused by travel through the airport, we will be able to nip it in the bud right from there,” the aviation boss said.
“We just don’t want to reopen, we want to open with a better system that is sustainable and resilient,” he added.
Preparation for the reopening does not just include automated processes. The SLCAA and the airport authorities say they are in talks with the tourist board to prepare proper facilities if they have to temporarily isolate or even quarantine passengers coming into the country.
Baio said they were also engaging the Ministry of Health on the possibility of having a 24-hour testing system for travellers coming into the country.
Belgian carrier, Brussels Airlines has announced that they will want to resume flight to Sierra Leone on the 15 July if the government lifts the ban by then; it is not clear whether the country would have put all these measures in place in time to give clearance to Brussels to resume flights into the country.
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