Evacuation of stranded Ghanaians a welcome gesture

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has begun evacuating Ghanaians who are stranded outside the country back home.

For some time now, a number of Ghanaians have been stranded in various countries, awaiting evacuation, which became difficult as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant closure of borders.

The issue of evacuating our stranded compatriots has been in the public domain for quite some time now, with no decision being taken to evacuate them, even though some of them were prepared to foot their evacuation bills, as well as their boarding and lodging on arrival in Ghana.

It is, therefore, a welcome gesture that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun the exercise to evacuate them because, in our view, it will bring a lot of relief to our stranded compatriots, as well as their relations.

There are reports that Ghanaians who are stranded outside the country have complained about running out of money and being thrown out of their apartments or hotels, while many who still have funds to cover their upkeep have been ejected by landlords because they are suspected to be infected by the coronavirus.

Images on some traditional and social media show some of our compatriots with their belongings on the streets, while there are many reports of maltreatment.

We are happy to note that when these stranded Ghanaians are eventually brought into the country, they will undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The Daily Graphic would like to urge them to strictly adhere to all the safety and health protocols and physical distancing regulations that are designed to make Ghana safe and secure.

We are also concerned about the Ghanaian students who went to France to study and are stranded there but are not in a position to pay for their return home. The paper believes that similar cases exist elsewhere, needing equal attention.

The Daily Graphic has learnt that the number of people expected home is rising because more people are registering with the country's 63 missions abroad, including those in the United States, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine.

Fortunately, in his 10th in the series of public broadcasts, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hinted about a special dispensation to be given for the evacuation of stranded Ghanaians back home.

It would be recalled that some 230 of compatriots arrived in the country from Kuwait recently and are currently going through quarantine.

According to a Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Charles Owiredu, others would also be evacuated in cohorts because to bring all of them at a go would be overwhelming, adding that the plan was not to bring all Ghanaians living abroad back home but those who needed to come home.

Indeed, the introduction of this phased opening up of the country means that each and every one of us must continue to respect the enhanced hygiene and physical distancing protocols that have become part and parcel of our daily routine over the last three months.

It is only by so doing that we can guarantee for ourselves a safe and secure country, free from the scary COVID-19 pandemic.

Already, Ghana is going through a partial easing of restrictions, but this does not mean that all is well and we can take things for granted.

This is the time for all of us to remain vigilant, stay alert, be responsible and be one another’s keeper.

We support the advice that if you do not have anything serious to do in town, stay at home.

The COVID-19 definitely is teaching us new ways of doing things, including regularly washing hands under running water with soap, use of hand sanitisers, physical distancing and avoiding shaking of hands.

These ‘new normal’ practices will be with us for a very long time and the earlier we get used to them, the better it will augur for the nation.