By Nathaniel Nartey
General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association Dr. Titus Beyuo has called for a review of the Covid-19 travel restrictions by Ghana and other African countries.
These restrictions, according to him, are not helpful because the virus continues to spread within countries despite the restrictions on movement.
He told Nathaniel Nartey that governments should focus their resources on getting equitable distribution of vaccines to enable them to vaccinate larger proportions of the population against Covid-19.
“I would call on the government that travel restrictions in this era are not helpful. It has not been shown and the epidemiology does not support it in any way that looking at the degree of spread of this infection we should be doing travel restrictions. Travel restrictions play one role and that is to prevent the spread of the virus as we speak the cases are in almost every country, so I think countries should review that carefully”.
Dr. Beyuo appealed to the Ministry of Health to reduce the 14 days quarantine period for front-line health personnel. He said the country risks losing most of its workforce in the health sector to Covid-19 due to the high rate of infection and the resultant 14 days mandatory quarantine.
”Looking at the infection rate among health workers we have to re-look at our isolation or quarantine period when you are infected. If not sooner we will not have doctors and nurses to work in the hospitals if they will be quarantined for 14 days following exposure, it’s not sustainable”, according to the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association Dr. Titus Beyuo.
