Coronavirus: Travellers avoiding screening at Aflao/Togo border

With the surge in the number of coronavirus cases in some countries, Ghana's government announced it's preparedness to fight against the disease.

Whilst Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority in collaboration with Port Health have increased sensitization campaigns along the borders in the country, there seems to be resistance by some travellers to go through the screening process.

In a report by TV3's Joseph Armstrong, monitored by GhanaWeb, there is a major unconcern from settlers at the Togo/Aflao border about being screened.

Head of Ports at Aflao Border, Cudjoe Kenneth says despite his outfit's preparedness to identify affected persons, commuters, especially the border indigenes avoid the screening process.

"We are all trying our best hoping that the disease doesn't come, but in case it comes, well I think we will be able to contain. The little we can do, we will do," he said in the video report monitored by GhanaWeb.

However, according to some transport operators along the border, people enter the country through unapproved routes thereby do not go through any proper screening.

They believe not enough preventive measures against the deadly disease have been put in place.

"We have unapproved routes, those unapproved routes that people use Okada to enter the country is given us a problem. Because some of them can have the virus but we don't know. So we are pleading the authorities to make sure the port health workers check these unapproved routes and check all those entering the country," one driver told the reporter.

Meanwhile, Port Health officials at the Paga Border, in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, say an effective surveillance system is being put in place to help detect suspected cases of the coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

Also, Port Health authorities at the Kotoka International Airport have reiterated assurances of safe mechanisms at the country’s sole entry point for travellers across the globe.