Ebola Scare: Gov�t Restricts Movement Of Liberian Refugees

The Government of Ghana has activated emergency procedures at the Kotoka International airport. Restrictions have also been imposed on the movement of Liberian refugees still at the Buduburam Refugee Camp. These are part of sweeping new measures being undertaken by government to avert an outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus in Ghana. An emergency inter-ministerial meeting is currently underway here in Accra. High on the agenda is a plan to deploy more armed border patrol units with possible direct assistance from the military to all illegal entry points into Ghana. Joy News� information indicates a ban on flights from West African countries with Ebola is firmly on the table, with the Interior Ministry stating that it will not hesitate to impose the ban if it becomes necessary. Deputy Interior Minister James Agalga said no decision has been taken on the ban yet, but added "if it becomes necessary" that decision will be made. He admitted though that such a ban would have dire consequences on the sub-region. The Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company, Charles Asare, layed out elaborate emergency measures the authorities of Kotoka are implementing. �There is Emergency Operation Centre which we have activated for all our airports and with that comes certain protocols that our airports have to follow: cleaning, sanitizing, and public education,� he said. Mr. Asare said all airport staff have been equipped with the right gear �so that if there is an airplane coming an Ebola endemic area, they meet them with the right level of protection. He said a place to be used as an isolation facility in the airport has been identified and that if someone is suspected to be a carrier of the virus, the person held in that isolation facility.