Dangerous border breaches

For the umpteenth time, we are asking that all join hands in fighting the invisible enemy. It is elating that the story has sunk in and most Ghanaians are adhering largely to the basic preventive measures as laid out by the Health Ministry.

While we salute personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and other sister security agencies as they enforce the directives of the President, we are disturbed though that some politicians in the Upper East Region are interfering with the operations to stop Burkinabes from entering Ghana.

Information reaching us is that some local politicians order the release of some of these intruding foreigners on motorbikes.

These are unusual times and so those who stand in the way of our security officers as they guard our porous borders should be exposed and shamed.

We have heard about how some foreigners manage to sneak in through unscrupulous persons along our frontiers.

It is our submission that those who are arrested for breaching the President’s directives which are in our overall interest should be deported immediately and those who aided them punished.

The bad nuts who are aiding in the flouting of our laws do not appreciate the seriousness of the global health crisis.

We wish to call on the relevant authorities to work hand in hand with the chiefs along our frontiers on the subject.

It is only when the depth of the crisis is explained to them that they would be encouraged to even take the lead in warding off foreigners from entering our country.

There have been instances in some parts of the world where local people have taken the lead in ensuring that social distancing breaches do not take place. Such persons have either witnessed firsthand the magnitude of the crisis or understand it and so would not fold their hands for the dangerous breaches to take place.

District Chief Executives (DCEs) along the frontiers should not be seen to be discouraging the GIS personnel from enforcing fully the directives.

As stated already, these personnel are overstretched because of our porous frontiers and so any interference, as we have heard some of them are doing, will not inure to the success of our efforts at stopping foreign human traffic at this time.

The health of Ghana is at stake and nobody regardless of their statuses should be allowed to mess up with the President’s directives.

We wish to take this opportunity to express gratitude to our medical personnel who are managing the conditions of the afflicted. The stability in the conditions of these patients attests to the quality of service they are being rendered and above all the Almighty God’s interference.

It has not been easy for them dealing with a new medical condition under our peculiar circumstances.

We pray that God continue to be with them as they undertake this sacrifice in line with their Hippocratic Oath.

Let us take heart, observe the basic preventive protocols and be hopeful that like the President said ‘this too shall pass’ by God’s grace.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com