Coronavirus: We won’t give up until Ghanaians in China are evacuated – Minority

The Minority Caucus in Parliament says it will not relent in its efforts to convince the government to evacuate Ghanaian students from China.

The caucus on Tuesday issued a three-day ultimatum to the government to evacuate all Ghanaian nationals living in China, following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed the lives of over 1,400 people.

Many countries concerned about the safety of their nationals, have evacuated them from that country.

Speaking to Citi News, Minority Spokespersons on Foreign Affairs and Health, Kobina Mintah Akandoh said the Committee will not rest until all Ghanaians in China are brought home safely.

“Today, we are expecting the officials from the Ministry of Health to come and brief our Committee. The only assurance I can give is that we are not going to relent until the Ghanaians in China, especially Wuhan are evacuated to Ghana.”

“Today I will contact leadership and draw leadership’s attention to the fact that tomorrow ends the three-day ultimatum and the next line of action will be determined from there. Some of the students tell me they are in a very difficult condition and even some of them, how to get food to eat is a problem so it is not any good news at all.”

WHO hasn’t recommended evacuation of Ghanaian students yet – Health Ministry

Government earlier said the evacuation of Ghanaians from China following the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus was not advisable.

According to the Ministry of Health, consultations and engagements with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other regional bodies do not encourage the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals from China.

In a statement, the Ministry said the government was liaising with the embassy in China to ensure that all citizens continue to remain safe as no Ghanaian student has been reported to have contracted the virus.

“We are working in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, West African Health Organisation, US Centres for Disease Control and other Development Partners, discussing and reviewing our strategies day by day. So far, all advice through consultations and engagements is not encouraging us to undertake mass evacuation because sub-regional consultation- the West African Health Organisation is engaging member states and has not recommended evacuation yet.”

The Ministry also said it was reviewing the situation by the hour and will when necessary, tow the appropriate next line of action, including evacuation.

Parents call for evacuation

Parents of Ghanaian students in China’s Wuhan Province also mounted pressure on the government to evacuate their children currently stranded in the region as the Coronavirus outbreak intensifies.

They contended that government will face their wrath should any of the Ghanaian students contract the virus.

Students desperate for evacuation

The Ghanaian students have also been calling on the government to evacuate them over the coronavirus fears.

But the government insists it will take its time on the matter and weigh its options.