Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has lauded the government for announcing a mandatory self-quarantine on travelers to Ghana for 14 days following the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his view, the move, which has already taken effect, is yielding results as some travelers have already been tested positive.But Prof Gyampo in a post on Facebook said though the government deserves commendation for the policy, they should not waste taxes quarantining foreign travelers to Ghana in plush hotels.
Below is his Facebook post:
The mandatory quarantine policy is yielding results, which may not be appreciated by those who fortunately, may not be infected.
Just imagining what would have happened if all who were mandatorily quarantined were allowed to go to their houses and live in the communities without the policy to isolate them for observation and testing.
Government deserves commendation for this policy. We have done better than the Italians and it is important we learn to praise and commend policy makers when they “get it right.”
But we shouldn’t waste our taxes quarantining foreign travelers to Ghana in plush hotels. We should either let them stay away, enforcing border closure directives and temporarily suspending all flights to Ghana or let them pay for their hotel bills as they are quarantined. We may also consider housing them in temporarily vacated hostels.Travelers who feel inconvenienced, must know that this is not a good time for globe-trotting.
Also, resources being spent in disinfecting markets, should be re-directed at supporting the current fight to contain the Coronavirus. If the market disinfection, as the Deputy Local Government Minister has hinted, isn’t a direct fight against the current danger, then we must rethink our use of resources in that area. We must get our priorities right in the fight against the Coronavirus.
Why spend money to kill “market bow-tied rats” and other rodents, when we are told these aren’t necessarily carriers of the “imported virus”? We must deal with the insanitary conditions at the market places and in our environments. But we must confront to contain the Coronavirus first, for, a bad thing is a good thing done at the wrong time.
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