Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Amoako Atta, says more personnel have been deployed to man illegal routes from Ivory Coast and other Ebola-infected countries into Ghana as part of measures to combat the importation of the virus.

In collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the move comes on the back of reports that the country’s western neighbour, Cote d’Ivoire, has on Sunday, August 15, recorded its first case of the deadly disease.

“We are going to heighten the public health surveillance across our borders, especially the western border where we have Cote d’Ivoire and then countries where we have discovered the virus,” he said.

Therefore, officers of the Immigration Service are under strict instructions to repatriate on sight persons using an unapproved route from Cote d’Ivoire into Ghana.

“Currently, the border is closed. So we have to make sure that the necessary checks are done for those who can enter legally and make sure that illegal entries are prevented and checked.

“So we are currently in collaboration with the Immigration Service to ensure that these things are sorted out.”

The measures come on the back of the assurances by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kumah-Abogye, that the government is beefing up surveillance systems at the various ports of entry at the borders to avert an outbreak of Ebola or the Marburg Virus.

However, Mr Amoako Atta, who was speaking to JoyNews’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson, is optimistic the mechanisms put in place will assist the country to realize its fight against the importation of a new virus.

“I don’t think we should be worried; I don’t think we should panic. We think we have things under control.”

“With Ebola, let me say, we are already prepared for any such eventuality, and because we are not taking Covid lightly, the measure are there now will suffice for any fear of Ebola coming in.”