” We Will Make COVID-19 Vaccination Compulsory For Some Citizens” – Ghana

In Ghana, the Ghana Health Service announced that from January 2021, they will make the COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for some citizens in the west African country.

Some of the citizens include security officers, health workers, government workers, commercial bus drivers, Staff and students in primary, secondary and tertiary schools will get a mandatory vaccination.

The Director-General of Ghana’s Health Service (GHS), Patrick Kuma Aboagye, said that the Minister will set the effective date for the vaccination in January.

However, the mandatory vaccination will not affect only one section of the public. The government will target public places where the masses usually gather, like restaurants, beaches, nightclubs, government offices, stadiums, and hospitals.

Groups of people who are found in the above venues will have to take this mandatory vaccination.

Read More: Ghana Implements New Covid-19 Protocols

Ghanaian health officials said this latest development is to prevent the fourth wave of coronavirus, especially after the country recorded the Omicron variant recently.

In his public address to Ghanaians, President Akufo-Addo announced that the country had taken stock of 17.7 million the virus vaccines.

The President urged the public to make their bodies available for vaccination because it is one of the best ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The West African country rolled out new travel guidelines last week which made vaccination mandatory for airports, particularly for Ghanaians who have not been vaccinated.

The officials will return foreigners who have yet to go through the the virus test back to their home country.

Airlines that fly unvaccinated passengers or people who have not taken their Coronavirus test at least 72 hours before travel face a $3,500 fine.

Some Ghanaians rejected the new mandatory vaccination, saying it is an abuse of human rights, but the Ghanaian government said this is one of the best ways to stop the fourth coronavirus wave from happening.