The Minority has criticized President Akufo-Addo for refusing to comply with self-quarantine protocols of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on COVID-19 shortly after arriving from his European tour.
The President, in the company of other government officials on Wednesday, visited the Kotoka International Airport to assess measures put in place to scan travelers of the deadly COVID-19 at the country’s entry point.
The President in the last 24 hours arrived from his tour of Europe, where daily records of suspected cases of the virus are growing.
Italy has seen the continent’s worst outbreak as over 3,000 have been confirmed cases and 107 deaths so far.
A total of 257 confirmed cases and four deaths with thirteen regions affected in France while Norway has also recorded 56 confirmed cases of coronavirus as per Norwegian Institute for Public Health (FHI) figures as of Wednesday.
The Minority had earlier called for President Akufo-Addo to be quarantined on his return to the country as a precautionary measure.
Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has stated that the President is in good health hence there is no need for him to be quarantined
But Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, is not convinced by the assurance.
According to him, the virus is said to have an incubation period of 14 days for which reason the President should have been placed under-self-quarantine as advised by the WHO.
“Norway has recorded a case in coronavirus. So if the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service is saying that we should adhere to these guidelines [World Health Organisation self-quarantine guidelines], why are we exempt the President, leadership by example. So the president and his entourage must quarantine the president”, he said.
He further explained that according to the WHO protocols, “the President could be alright and not show any of the symptoms but there is the possibility that he may be harbouring the virus.”
The Juaboso Member of Parliament also questioned the financial preparedness of the government to tackle the problem in the case of an outbreak.
President Akufo-Addo also paid visits to the Tema General Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
