Coronavirus: Who is Ablakwa to give gov't ultimatum on evacuation of students?-NPP MP

The Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese Constituency, on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Elvis Morris Donkoh, has descended heavily on  the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs and Health Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for giving government a three -day ultimatum to evacuate Ghanaian students in China.
“I heard Okudzeto Ablakwa gave 72 hours ultimatum to government to rescue Ghanaian students in China; It is so unfortunate that such a person can give government a 72-hour ultimatum to evacuate the students from China. I do not know the powers he posses to give someone ultimatum,” he said.
Speaking on the Atinka TV’s Morning Agenda, a segment on Ghana Nie, he said,”I was expecting him to give his opinion about the situation or appeal to government but giving you 72 -hour ultimatum’does not go well.”
Mr Elvis Morris Donkoh, who identified that those Ghanaians who are in China are people’s husbands, wives, or relatives, noted that it is the responsibility of the government to protect Ghanaians who encounter such problems outside the country.
However, he questioned how the students would be taken care of if they are brought in Ghana and any of them has the virus.
“With the coronavirus in China, if we bring the students back to Ghana and any of them has it, how do we care for the person? I know the government said in case there is an outbreak in Ghana, we are ready to solve it, but Ghana as a country, I am telling you that if we record even one case in this country it will be chaos,” he said.
Mr Elvis Morris Donkoh further buttressed his point, explaining that,”The way we relate to ourselves, in some houses, a lot of children sleep on one bed, looking at how our transport system operates, how our family bond system is, In Ghana if you meet someone and you do not shake the person it means that you have a problem with the person.”
“In Ghana, we do not have a lot of such mask at shops to say that every Ghanaian should go and buy and wear it. If the virus hits here, what do we do as a country?,” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, Mr Elvis Morris Donkoh who noted that the Ministry of Health and Foreign affairs are collaborating to ensure the safety of Ghanaian students in china reiterated that,”According to them, their situation there is not as critical or bad that they have to come back home, but I also believe that when it becomes critical that the government has to bring them to the country it will.”
“I will urge families of those in China, to exercise patience. So far, we have not heard that any Ghanaian has been affected but we are still praying that no Ghanaian is affected. Maybe the virus is scared of the blood of Africans,” he said.
He also encouraged the government to be more proactive, such that if we have to evacuate them from China, we do it well.
“As we bring them to Ghana, the government should prepare a facility such that when they are brought, they can be quarantined for some days before they are released to prevent its spread,” he added.
Background
The Minority Caucus gave the Akufo-Addo-led government a three-day ultimatum to as a matter of urgency, evacuate Ghanaian students currently locked up in China, to a less coronavirus-prone area or back to Ghana.
Failure to that, they noted, will see them reconvene and tell the world their next line of action.
According to them, France, United State of America, Switzerland, Philippines, Russia, Libya among other countries have all evacuated their nationals from China as a result of the CoronaVirus.
The United States of America, they noted, is even doing a second round evacuation of their nationals, urging the Government to swiftly move in to save the Ghanaian students before anything bad befalls on them.
Over 400 Ghanaian students are estimated to be in China.
At a press briefing on the sidelines of Parliamentary sitting, Tuesday, the Ranking Members of the Foreign Affairs and Health Committees, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said Ghana has the capacity to evacuate their students from China, especially, those trapped in Wuhan, the epicenter of the CoronaVirus.
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