The Member of Parliament for Assin Central Constituency, Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is calling on the government to reconsider its decision to re-open Ghana Domestic Airlines.
The Aviation Minister, Kofi Adda has hinted that domestic flights may resume this weekend.
He explains that the Ghana Airport Company Limited has put in place precautionary measures at all airports in the country.
Speaking to the media during a disinfection exercise at the airport by waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Aviation Minister Kofi Adda said the reopening of Ghana’s airport for business will begin with allowing domestic flights to operate.
It will be recalled that, when the number of cases increased to 21, President Nana Akufo-Addo in an address to the nation on Saturday, March 21 instructed that all borders be closed, which is still in force.
Hon Ken Agyapong is warning the government against the resumption of domestic flight.
Sharing his thought on The Dialogue show on Net2 TV Wednesday, The outspoken legislature said the rising figures on the covid-19 day-in and day-out is creating a gloomy picture for the resumption of the domestic flight.
Touching on reopening of the country’s borders to our neighbouring countries Hon. Kennedy Agyapong asked the government to use countries like Singapore and Japan as test case saying these countries after being able to contain the novel corona virus decided to reopen their borders and businesses and are now battling with a lot of covid 19 cases.
He revealed that, the 1,795 infections in the Greater Accra region most of them are occupants at East Legon. ‘Let me tell you, these are affluent people who have been tested for the covid-19 and they are the very people who can also afford to take flight instead of driving so the government has to be careful since it is very dangerous. They know the trend, they know the areas that have more infection in Accra, it is not the ordinary person that cannot buy ticket to go to Kumasi or Tamale, the affluent class who have travel history are the most infected and these people are from affluent areas and for me is too early for the government to open. They have to listen to the doctors and expert advice not only in Ghana here, but everywhere in the world. There is a problem between Dr. Vachhani and the Medical Association in America, President Trump is thinking about how to revive the economy and the medical expert is also saying this will escalate the spread , the governor of Georgia and Mayor of Atlanta argued back and forth and the mayor I learnt is a black and is saying she will never lift the lockdown because she knows that the virus could spread to her black community where the hospitals will not take care of the blacks whiles the whites are there, so she doesn’t want to jeopardize their lives. So I will plead that , the health of Ghanaians must be considered first before money or economy.
It will come to pass. In 1918 there was a pandemic like that and today we are having this , so if we are able to save more lives so that we can use them in productivity sector it will be far better off than losing your labour force and the affluent people ‘.
He further said the decision by the government is in a rush.
