Confusion Rocks Gov’t Claim of Caring for Ghanaian Coronavirus Hostages In China

There are claims and counterclaims about the fate of Ghanaian students held in ransom at the epicentre of the recent Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan-China.
The Akufo Addo government claims it had released some US$ 250,000 to the stranded student for upkeep.
But the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) insists that it had been in touch with some of the students and that they were in “a very horrendous predicament”
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minority (NDC) spokesperson on Foreign Affair insists that the students have run out of supplies as the coronavirus gradually closes in on them on their campuses across China-particularly in Wuhan which has been confirmed as the origin of the virus.
“We are saying we cannot continue this way with this dereliction of duty; this insensitive and callous approach to such a global health emergency which unfortunately is the approach that our government has adopted,” Ablakwa told media men as he chided the Akufo Addo administration for virtually abandoning the students.
The Ministry of Health had recently stated categorically that it cannot allow these traumatised students to travel to Ghana because of fears some may have contracted the deadly disease.
 
 
 
According to Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Habib Tijani, some $250,000 was recently released to assist the students in the purchase of nose masks and toiletries as part of efforts to improve their wellbeing in this trying time.
 
However, from reports coming in from China, these students may not have received this money.
 
 
The coronavirus which broke out late December 2019, has extremely high mortality and infection rate.
 
At the last count, about 50,000 people have reportedly been infected worldwide. Out of this, about 1000 have reportedly died in less than one month of picking up the disease.
 
 
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus a global epidemic as countries evacuate their citizens from China.
According to the students who have granted interviews to several media houses, countries like France, Switzerland, Philippines, Russia, Libya among others have evacuated their nationals studying in Wuhan except for Ghana.
 “Countries have reviewed their interventions and moved in to even do multiple rounds of evacuation. Ghana cannot continue to pussyfoot,” Okudzeto Ablakwa said.