By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Feb. 20, GNA- President Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed the sympathies and well wishes of Ghana to China over the outbreak of new Coronavirus (Covid 19), and urged Ghanaians not to politicise the evacuation of Ghanaians from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The outbreak, which was reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by the Chinese authorities, has since claimed more than 2000 lives with more than 74,000 people infected.
“Today, China is battling the outbreak of deadly Covid-19 and we sympathise with the Good People of the People’s Republic China in this time of great trouble,” he stated, while delivering his Fourth Message on the State of the Nation to Parliament, in Accra, on Thursday.
The President said he had written to President Xi Jinping to convey the message, adding: “We trust that the tough decisions being implemented to contain the spread of the virus – this nightmare – will be over soon and they will recover from this devastating act of economic and social impact”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo conveyed the message when delivering the State-of-the-Nation Address to Parliament in Accra on Thursday.
On the situation of Ghanaians in China the president stated: “We have a delicate situation on our hands Mr Speaker, and it does not benefit anybody to try to score points by introducing ill-judged politics into this ongoing medical conundrum and humanitarian tragedy.
“I expect the members of this Honourable House to set an example by helping to clear all the troubling waters and stop spreading fear and panic among the young people”.
The Government, he said, was in constant touch with experts who had been providing basic principles on public health on the matter to circumvent the disease from the area of origin.
It had not ruled out the option of evacuating the students from Wuhan should it become necessary, he said.
There was a sizeable Ghanaian Community in China, therefore, it had been working with its Chinese counterpart to find the best solution to deal with the situation.
“Currently, there are 4,762 Ghanaian students, out of which 300 are studying in the Hubei Province and 200 in the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak”.
The President said most of those students were on Chinese Government scholarships and since the crisis started the Government of Ghana had provided $500 for each student; while the Chinese authorities had supplied them with food and logistics.
The President acknowledged the various support Ghana had received from China, including the Sinohydro Master Plan Agreement to support the country’s infrastructural development.
There has been some public outcry, including from the Minority in Parliament, some students in China and their parents, to the Government to immediately evacuate the students from Wuhan to prevent their infection.
But both the WHO and the Chinese authorities have advised against mass evacuation, saying it was not the best option.
More than 25 countries across the globe have reported cases of the outbreak, a situation that has significantly affected trade and business, especially in the airline, entertainment and sporting industries.
The presentation of the SONA, is in compliance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament.
It stipulates that, “the President shall, at the beginning of each Session of Parliament and before the dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the State of the Nation”.
GNA