Ghana govt can't bring back all stranded Ghanaians abroad - deputy minister

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - The Ghana government said here Tuesday it would not bring home Ghanaians stranded abroad due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affais and Regional Integration Charles Owiredu revealed at a press briefing here that it would be chaotic trying to fly home all Ghanaians stranded abroad as a result of the pandemic.

“We don’t have a decision to bring in all Ghanaians,” Owiredu said, adding that “the government cannot make a decision” that “all of these people should come in at the same time”.

“It is going to be very chaotic if you look at the numbers,” the deputy minister stated but said a decision was taken to begin “with those from Kuwait”.

The government recently received some 245 Ghanaians deported from Kuwait as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ghanaians, who had lived in Kuwait illegally, arrived home on Saturday, 23 May on a chartered flight as the country’s borders and entry points remained closed.

Owiredu stated: “This group that we call the first cohort, they are the ones that the decision was taken by Cabinet to allow them to come in.”

According to the minister, the second and third categories comprise “Ghanaians who travelled outside and are ready to pay for their return home and those outside the country on national duty, including students on government scholarships”.

Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, addressing the media here Friday, 22 May said the repatriated Ghanaians would undergo mandatory quarantining and testing for COVID-19.

-0- PANA     RA     26May2020