President Akufo-Addo has advised Ghanaians who intend to travel to high-risk Covid-19 countries to postpone or cancel their trips.

Addressing the nation on measures taken against Covid-19, the President said these countries are recording more infections and increased death toll.

“I want to reiterate as captured in the travel directive jointly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ghana Health Service that all nonessential trips to countries with high Covid-19 infection rates should either be canceled or postponed.”

“We must be mindful of the associated risk and travel to and from these countries at this time. There will be plenty of time, God willing for such trips in the future, we will continue to review our travel restriction measures. Thus, people must be cautious of the associated risk involved in travelling to these countries", President Akufo-Addo said.

His comment comes after India and some other countries in Asia recorded huge cases of infections leading to a strain on their health systems.

In early May, the World Health Organisation said that India accounted for nearly half of the coronavirus cases reported worldwide and one in four of the deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the coronavirus variant first found in India last year as a "variant of global concern".

President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians who want to travel to be cautious and wait for the risk to subside.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo says the country will begin the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise on Wednesday, May 19.

“The deployment of the second dose of vaccines will take place across the designated vaccination centres in the 43 districts approximately 12 weeks after the first jab as the science prescribes.”