COVID-19: GHS advises against opening of land borders in 2022 1st quarter

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has urged government to keep the country's land borders closed as part of measures to ensure that the Omicron variant does not spread.

According to the GHS, the lack of testing at these borders will put the country at risk if opened in a period of the spread of a new variant of Covid-19 across the world.

Speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV on whether it is advisable to open the country’s land borders in the first quarter of 2022, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye said the “time is not ripe.”

”Though the closure has had an adverse impact on the economies of border towns, it will be advisable we “ study the Omicron virus a bit, check with our neighbours, and see how they are coping.”

“The health and economic balance need to be taken into consideration before such decisions are made,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo in March 2020 ordered the closure of the country's borders as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The land borders have only been allowing the passage of cargo.

The Presidency has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will in due time announce a decision on the current closure of the country's borders after consultations with the COVID-19 National Response Team.

Residents of Elubo in the Western Region and Ketu South in the Volta Region have protested to demand the immediate reopening of the Elubo and the Aflao borders respectively.

The residents bemoaned that the continuous closure of the land borders is negatively affecting their livelihoods.

---citinewsroom