Audio By Carbonatix
President Akufo-Addo has yielded to pressure to evacuate Ghanaians stranded abroad since closure of the country’s borders on March 21.
In his tenth address to the nation since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Akufo-Addo said “special dispensation is going to be given for their evacuation back to Ghana.”
“They will be subjected to the mandatory quarantine and safety protocols [on their arrival in the country,] he said the Sunday evening address.
However, the country’s air, land and sea borders remain closed to general human traffic until further notice, the president noted.
This is to prevent the importation of the coronavirus into the country.
The news should come as a relief to the likes of Rapper, Sarkodie, who is stuck in the US and has been pushing for a window to be given to citizens to return home.
“Can we open the borders for at least a day or two in-between times for citizens stuck outside to get back pls” Sarkodie wrote on Twitter more than a month ago.
Mr president @NAkufoAddo you’ve done so well with how you handling this pandemic , we appreciate your effort 🙏🏿 But please can we open the boarders for at least a day or two in between time for citizens stuck outside to get back pls 🙏🏿
— Sarkodie (@sarkodie) April 20, 2020
Since then, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa has launched a crusade for Ghanaians abroad to be evacuated.
The MP previously called on the government to evacuate Ghanaians in Wuhan, China when the virus was first discovered.
In a post on May 5, the outspoken legislator said, “I appeal to President Akufo-Addo to grant our fellow citizens a narrow window of return and be quarantined.”
The government maintained it was consulting and gathering data on Ghanaians abroad to inform its decision.
Acknowledging the evacuation notice, Mr. Ablakwa said: “I am glad President Akufo-Addo has finally given the green light for the evacuation of stranded Ghanaians as I have long advocated.”
“Government must always be responsive to the plight of citizens,” he added.
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