Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, has been named as one of the senior Government officials who may have likely caught the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) infection after his recent visit to Norway, according to Kevin Taylor, host of cyber TV platform, “With All Due Respect”.
According to the plain-talking political commentator, sources from within the inner sanctum, of the Jubilee House, confirmed this to him and that this the source is at a level of reliability that over 90% of his/her information rings true.
Mr. Osafo Maafo is among dozens of cabinet ministers and government advisors who embarked on a trip to Norway, Late February. They were on the trip with Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana Grunnar Andrea Holm, who has been officially confirmed to have contracted the deadly Covid-19.
Wild speculations are already being fuelled by the curious vacuum in communication from the Jubilee House about the Covid-19 status of those who joined the Norway trip.
President Akufo Addo and an entourage of almost 100 people composed of cabinet ministers and Presidential advisors were in Norway between February 24, 2020 and February 28. Mr. Andreas Holm had been on the entourage and has been seen in videos and pictures in cordial handshakes with both the President and his entourage. He has virtually been on the side of the President throughout the trip, sources tell Whatsup News.
Some of the ministers on the Norway trip include the Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botwey, Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, and the Technology Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, among others. Also on the trip is Mrs. Kadijah Amoah, the newly appointed Country Manager of Aker Energy, the Norwegian Crude oil Giant.
Since their return from Norway, the President had attended various public engagement where we interacted with dignitaries, including during the March 6 Independent celebration in Kumasi where he met with the Asantehene and several others. Visibly Absent was Former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama.
In the face of the rampaging pandemic of the Covid-19, critics have described the President’s latest trip to Norway as the most disturbing of all his recent trips because of Norway is the European country with the second-highest infection rate per capita outside Italy.
According to Worldometer, a widely referenced online global statistical portal, Norway has approximately 165 infections per one million of its population, compared to Italy which has 250 infections per one million population.
The third highest infection rate in Europe is Denmark which recently ordered a total lockdown of the country. Italy has also locked down.
While away in Norway, the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak caused a public stir by advocating that President Akufo Addo should be quarantined on his return from Norway.
A statement issued by the Jubilee House Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin, said there was no need to quarantine the President because he was in good health,
”The President arrived in the country yesterday at 8 pm and is fine, there are no signs of him contracting anything. The President travelled with a medical team and was assessed 24 hours and if there was something wrong with him I am sure the medical team would have stated it. There is no need to panic everything is fine,” Mr Arhin stated late February 2020.
This statement was issued a few days after the entourage returned. However, virologists confirm that the virus could lay dormant for up to 21 days before it starts causing symptoms in its victims. It is barely 15 days since the return of the Ghanaian delegation from Norway.
Globally, Covid-19 has infected over 130,000 people worldwide and has killed almost 5,000 so far. Most of the victims are older people with underlying or chronic diseases, experts have stated.