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Coronavirus: Ghanaian minister trapped in the US wishes to be evacuated

Ghana’s minister for monitoring and evaluation Anthony Akoto Osei has been trapped in the US since the closing of Ghana’s borders to curb the coronavirus. The minister has been trapped in the country grossing the highest cases and so he wishes to be evacuated as reports say he could have been in the US for a month.

Mr. Anthony had visited the United States on official duty when President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the closure of Ghana’s borders on March 22, 2020, to prevent the importation of coronavirus. The Ghanaian borders were initially closed for two weeks but the President extended the time, and they are now to remain closed until May 31st.

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had earlier dropped the hint about the stranded minister when Ghanaians stranded abroad were agitating for the reopening of the airport to enable them to return even in the midst of the Covid-19 scourge. The government is getting plans underway to evacuate Ghanaians who are stranded abroad due to border restrictions imposed in various countries across the world, following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

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The ministry is putting in place measures to make sure that such a programme is implemented. The Ghanaian missions are already compiling names of stranded travellers. The deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Charles Owiredu, in an interview, said President Akufo-Addo has already engaged all ambassadors on the issue. He also said that Ghanaian diplomats have been directed to put together data on all Ghanaians who are stuck abroad for some action to be taken. Mr. Owiredu stated that whatever decision that government will arrive at will be influenced by the available information on the spread of the coronavirus.

“We’ve received some requests and calls from some Ghanaians in the UK, US and in other countries for evacuations to be done. Like I said, based on the earlier discussions the President had with the ambassadors, they are supposed to furnish us with data of stuck Ghanaians who find themselves in such situations, we’ll be led by the science,” he said.

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