The Presidential Advisor on Health, Anthony Nsiah Asare, has disclosed that the government is currently considering ways of containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana before reopening land borders.
This comes after residents of Ketu South in the Volta Region and Elubo in the Western Region have protested for the opening of their land borders.
In an interview on Citifm, Dr. Asare stated the majority of the citizens would have to be vaccinated before the reopening of land borders can take effect.
“We are looking at the data, we are looking at the science and everything that is happening.. The President is more concerned about the economic devastation brought by the pandemic.”
“The way to curb this pandemic, apart from the protocols is to ensure that a lot of people are immunized. Once you get a lot of people vaccinated it means the vulnerable people in the country become less and no amount of importation will cause a devastating effect,”he added.
In Elubo, Protestors say the closure of the land border with the Ivory Coast was having both economic and social effects on their lives.
President Akufo-Addo in March 2020 ordered the closure of the country’s borders as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The land borders have only been allowing the passage of cargo.
However, the country’s major international airport was opened to passengers on September 1, 2020, after strict COVID-19 testing measures were put in place.
The protesters are therefore calling on President Nana Akufo-Addo to set up an antigen testing regime at land borders like he has done for the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to allow for free movement of persons.