Coronavirus: 'We are not safe' - Residents of Elubo lament

Correspondence from Western region

Some irate residents of Elubo in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region have expressed fear and concern, following an outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana.

The residents who claim they are not safe, lamented the indiscriminate crossing of the Elubo border without proper checks and scrutiny.

Elubo is the main border post between Ghana and La Cote D'Ivoire. It is also a cosmopolitan town dotted with different towns apart from Nzemas.

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Ghana confirmed two cases of COVID-19 the first incident to be reported in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic in China.

Some residents who spoke to GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku, were still nervous and nursing fears as authorities in charge of the border's operations of the border, they say, are still allowing travellers in without doing the adequate checks.

The residents entreated management to establish checkpoints to screen especially neighbors from the French-speaking countries who always cross the border to the Elubo community and other parts of the country.

According to the residents, these persons have a high tendency to import the disease from their countries if not checked.

"What I want to say is that they should mount a canopy at the checkpoint so that whoever will come from La Cote DIvoire, will wash his or her hands because if you tell the French people not to touch us, still they will touch us", they lamented.

According to them, since Cote d'Ivoire had recorded one, they fear their citizens could touch them with the virus.

They added, "Right now we have hand sanitizers to protect ourselves but our mothers at home do not have so it is possible to contract the pandemic and spread it".

"At Elubo border here, we are not safe because people can cross the border without proper checks, Elubo here we are not safe", a lady fumed.

Another angry lady said management at the border have failed to provide hand sanitizers to wash the hands of those who cross the border on daily basis

She, therefore, appealed to government, to, as a matter of urgency, make hand sanitizers available at the Elubo border to protect them against the killer virus.



In Ellembelle District of the Region, Paul Attabia Nyanza who spoke to GhanaWeb's Western Regional Correspondent, commended President Akufo-Addo for releasing 100 million dollars to be used to fight against the virus.

He, however, appealed to President Akufo-Addo to liaise with the Ministry of Health and provide free hand sanitizers to all Ghanaians especially those in the rural areas.

One phone seller who gave his name as Francis Cudjoe also called government to, as quickly as possible, close the Elubo border and other borders for some weeks till the situation subsides.

He contended that if the borders are opened always the virus could be easily spread in the country.

He also said he is afraid of his life because he is not getting hand sanitizer to buy. According to him, hand sanitizers have finished in the area.