International diplomatic expert, Al Wahab Farouk, has questioned why current protocols put in place for the reopening of airports were not followed when the mandatory quarantine set in during the early days of COVID-19 in Ghana.
The president on Sunday, 31st August, 2020 announced that following the reopening of the airport, each passenger, upon disembarking from the aeroplane, will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger. The test result will be available within thirty (30) minutes
Reacting to this directive, Al Wahab, in an interview with Kwame Afrifa Mensah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show questioned: “If people are to wait thirty-minutes for their COVID-19, why didn’t we use the same process for people who were mandatorily quarantined and slept for about two weeks in hotels?”
He was,however,of the view that while there may have been hitches in the COVID-19 fight, government could be commended for its approach to the pandemic.
It can be recalled that on the midnight of Saturday, March 21st, a mandatory quarantine was imposed on people who arrived in Ghana following the first confirmed coronavirus cases in the country; many of which were imported cases from affected countries.
Some Ghanaians raised concerns about the amount of money that was spent for these passengers to live in “luxurious” hotels while they were quarantined.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
