For the first time since March 2020, international flights will resume operations across countries on the african continent. In response Africa, is determined to show that it is committed to preventing any further increase of Coronavirus infections and aiding its possible eradication.
According to Business Daily Africa the African Union (AU) in partnership with a number of entities in the private sector, has now set up a digital application. This application will carry out the tracing of contacts across borders in Africa as well as perform bio-screening in a bid to boost the confidence of potential passengers with regards to the safety of the now resumed international flights.
The digital platform which is called PanaBIOS, can now be downloaded from Google’s Android PlayStore and is already being implemented in the west African nation of Ghana for the management of congestion in office spaces in addition of other locations that are regarded as high risk as well as reducing the transmission and importation of diseases and boosting the digitization of travel health clearances across the border.
PanaBIOS, was launched on the 29th of July 2020 by a consortium that was set up under the African Union’s Open Corridors Program alongside support from other establishments such as the African Union Department of Trade and Industry, the African Economic Zones Organisation, Koldchain, AfroChampions as well as other national government initiatives alongside the Trancop programme by the Ghanaian government at the forefront.
Ghana’s presidential advisor on health; Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, made it known that the Ghanaian government first began using the application in June 2020 stating that, “The government took a decision for strategic targeted testing. We started with schools and churches. We have to reopen and to do that we need a system where we can get real-time data at the borders and inside airports.”
Speaking further, “I am sure every country will like it because nobody wants importation of the disease. All cases in Africa were imported and if we are not careful, this easing of businesses could lead to more importation of the virus into Africa.”
PanaBIOS is said to be able to precisely map out how COVID-19 spreads, by modeling and monitoring congestion.
According to Dr. Nsiah-Asare “In so doing PanaBIOS alerts people who have been exposed to an infected person and advise them to get tested. It allows users to access test results and gives them certificates to allow cross-border travel.”
With PanaBIOS being free for use in all African countries Kenya which is a very active member of the African Union (AU), will be among the african nations to benefit from this technology which is the very first model of the African Union’s Digital Bio-surveillance, Bio-screening and Bio-sensing Protocol (DABBIT).
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