The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has disclosed that Ghana has so far evacuated 856 stranded Ghanaians and brought them back to Ghana.
The minister made this disclosure on Tuesday 16 June at a media briefing organised by the Ministry of Information.
Ms Botchwey wasanswering a question on how many stranded Ghanaians have been evacuated so far, following border closures and challenges caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease. “So far 856 Ghanaians have been assisted to come back home,” she said.
The minister also said some Ghanaians who travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seek greener pastures but became stranded are also being repatriated. The first batch of returnees has arrived, she said, and a second was at that very moment en route to Ghana.
“The people in Dubai were part of those brought back and another group are on their way as we speak.
“They are people who were found loitering because of the circumstances of how they live. In such places as Dubai, many of them worked as artisans, maidservants, or domestic workers. They live in dormitories and work in hotels as well, and once your employers lose their job, they kick you out. Those in such countries were kicked out, so they were living anyhow,” she said.
Recently, 241 Ghanaian nationals repatriated from Kuwait were allowed back into the country by the Government of Ghana.
The deportees arrived on a chartered flight on Saturday 23 May.
Thirty-five of the 241 returnees from Kuwait subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.
Borders remain closed but Ghanaians will be repatriated
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had previously announced that his government has put in place measures to evacuate Ghanaians who have been left stranded abroad by the border closures.
He said that all individuals evacuated will be made to undergo mandatory quarantine and observe other safety protocols.
“Our border, by air, land and sea, remains closed until further notice for human traffic. However, given that there are Ghana residents stranded abroad, a special dispensation is going to be given for their evacuation back to Ghana, where they will be subjected to the mandatory quarantine and safety protocols,” he said.
As of Tuesday 16 June, Ghana had recorded 12,193 cases of the novel disease and 4,326 recoveries with 58 deaths.
