President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has warned Ghanaians who intend on travelling to countries with a high-risk infection rate of COVID-19 to postpone.

Speaking to the nation on Sunday, May 16, 2021, he said the high-risk countries are recording more infections and increased death toll.

“I want to reiterate, as captured in the travel directive jointly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ghana Health Service, that all non-essential trips to countries with high COVID-19 infection rates should either be cancelled or postponed. There will be plenty of time, God-willing, for such trips in the future. We will continue to review our travel restriction measures,” Akufo-Addo said as part of his address.

He announced that the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise will start on Wednesday, May 19.

“I am happy to announce that beginning Wednesday, May 19 to Wednesday 26 May, the deployment of the second dose of vaccines will take place across the designated vaccination centres in the 43 districts approximately 12 weeks after the first jab as the science prescribes. More details of the deployment will be communicated by the Ghana Health Service in the coming week,” he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier announced that some countries in Asia, like India, have half of the coronavirus cases reported worldwide and one in four of the deaths.

WHO also classified the Coronavirus variant first found in India as a “variant of global concern”.

But Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians who want to travel to be cautious and wait for the risk to subside.