The Member of Parliament for Ketu South Constituency, Dzifa Gomashie, has indicated that the continuous closure of land borders in Ghana is a form of punishment to Ghanaians living along borders.
President Akufo-Addo says opening the land borders in the wake of the Omicron variant would not be in the best interest of the nation.
According to the President, the continuous closure of the borders forms part of the government’s measures to prevent the fourth wave of Covid-19 from entering the country.
“To my fellow Ghanaians living along the borders of our nation, I know of the difficulties occasioned by the closure of our borders. As you know, the decision to close our borders, which are a source of livelihoods for many, was necessary because we wanted to limit the importation of the virus into the country,” President Akufo-Addo disclosed during his 27th address to the nation on the pandemic Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
He continued “We are monitoring the level of threat of the disease and ongoing vaccinations in our neighbouring countries, and, as soon as we are satisfied that it is safe to do so, the borders will be opened. Until then, I believe this is not the right time to reopen our land borders, especially as we are determined to prevent the 4th wave, and, as such, they will remain closed until further notice,” he stated.
However, Speaking to Francis Abban on Morning Starr Thursday, the Ketu South MP said the move to have the borders remain closed cannot be because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want His Excellency to look at it more comprehensively . This is a punishment, this is a toucher on those of us who live along the border and the communities. Why is he punishing us, this is punishment for continuously telling us that the borders remain closed and doing nothing, not even a statement to tell us that in the interim this is what we are doing.
“Since the closure of the borders the government has failed to tell us what social intervention for the communities along the borders for their sustenance that has been missing in the equation. It is totally insensitive and not appreciated that we cannot do anything for our people,” she added.