Wednesday, 15th September, 2021b

DAILY ANALYST
Wednesday, 15th September, 2021 Page 9
Opinion
By with Vicky Wireko
The dreaded coronavirus
has succeeded in taking
the shine out of overseas
travels.
Air travel has now
become extra expensive, very
taxing, energy-sapping, risky and
nerve-racking.
Once upon a time, travelling
to the northern hemisphere or
anywhere else was a look forward
to. A different destination to
stretch, catch one’s breath with a
holiday like never before.
The days to travel and see, visit
family or friends, attend graduations,
conventions, conferences
and what have you are waning
with corona winds.
March 2020 will go down in
history as the year that any enthusiasm
in overseas travel froze
even before winter hit.
Travel complications
Today, one gets cold feet at the
mention of travelling. The mere
thought of it scares me. One begins
to think about exposure and
the risk of getting infected with
the virus, the expenses and endless
payments to get COVID-19
tests completed, not to mention
navigating the meanderings
through make-shift structures at
airports.
The thought of wearing a face
mask continuously for a journey
of six or more hours gets burdensome.
The idea of sitting so close
to someone not of one’s household
for hours in an enclosed
aircraft, defying social distancing
is troubling.
Travelling has just become
The worst of times to travel
a big monster in the air and the
idea does not appeal like before.
And that is true. One could
never imagine it until one gets to
plan and actually take to travel.
The stresses begin from the day
one books the flight. Depending
on the destination, the bombardments
of expected Covid-19
protocols begin.
The airlines clutter one’s
email with all kinds of information
on protocols for pre-boarding.
Countries of departure also
scream hard their terms and conditions.
It gets very confusing.
The United Kingdom (UK)
and the United States of America
(USA) have been two preferred
destinations by a lot of travellers
from this end. Whether it is for
family or friends visit, holidays,
education, medical, work-related
or pure tourism, these two countries
top all.
Stringent measures
To protect their citizens and
indeed travellers entering their
countries, almost all countries
around the world have put in
place stringent measures for
travellers to observe.
So gaining entry into a country
is not just a valid visa issue. It
is now more of negative PCR tests
to gain entry.
Traffic light system
And so, for example, the
UK has found it necessary to
introduce the traffic light system
which segregates and places
countries in boxes.
By that, if one’s country is positioned
in the green light zone,
bless you. The signal to you is that
you have been good to go with no
“pin-me-down” requirements to
satisfy. Just go in and stay cautious
knowing that we are not in
normal times.
If you are in the amber light,
as our beloved Ghana is, it means
you may enter but with strict
obeisance to laid down procedures.
Almost all health authorities
require that passengers from
other countries go through a PCR
test with a negative result at least
72 hours before one arrives in
their countries.
But on top of that, being in
the UK amber zone also means
that one will additionally pay for
two PCR tests to be administered
on days 2 and 8 on arrival in the
UK, a confirmation of which one
has to present before boarding an
aircraft.
On arrival, a passenger is required
to quarantine at the place
they are staying for 10 clear days
during which UK Health officials
will place constant calls and
sometimes visit the location to
ensure the passenger is available
and not “bolted” out.
If your country is in the red
zone, your case is completely
different. Red really means stop.
The message is dare to cross and
come but be prepared to pay over
two thousand pounds and get
quarantined in a designated hotel
for 10 days. While there, one also
will have to pay for two PCR tests.
Other countries have their
own stringent entry rules.
Back home, Ghana’s antigen
test on arrival at the Kotoka
International Airport seems to be
on track. All arriving passengers
must take the test and get the
results before they are allowed to
exit the airport.
Those testing positive for the
virus are taken away and quarantined
in a hotel for at least three
days to receive treatment. In the
past, some arriving passengers
testing positive have protested
fiercely. Unfortunately, that is
the rule of the game we are in.
COVID-19 has definitely made
overseas travel expensive. The
message is if you do not have
the time, patience and above all,
the funds, forget about overseas
travels for now.
The torment of a tiny virus
called corona will never be forgotten
whether in the air or on
the ground. One day, when the
story is told of this dreaded virus,
air travels will have a dedicated
chapter.
It will definitely be a chapter
on the worst time in man’s life
to travel from one country to
another, in an era of fundamental
human rights and freedom of
movement.
Ashanti Region: NYA, UNFPA collaborate to fight
sexual violence against out-of-school youth
Sexual violence perpetrated
against young
people has the tendency
to derail their social life
and future endeavours.
This among others is the
reason why the Ashanti Regional
Directorate, under the auspices
of UNFPA Country Programme,
has organized a stakeholders’
dialogue involving traditional
authority, CHRAJ, NCCE, Department
of Social Welfare, CSOs, apprentices
and varied categories
of out-of-school young people
vulnerable to sexual violence
in the Kumasi Metro and Tafo
Municipality to discuss common
grounds of mitigating the
incidence.
The Regional Director of NYA,
Mr. George Orwell Amponsah
entreated relevant state institutions
and other stakeholders
to pay serious attention to the
other issues that confront young
people, especially issues relating
to teenage pregnancy, sexual
abuse and other reproductive
health matters.
In his view, any neglect of
these equally important matters
can derail whatever gains the
country seeks for its economic
empowerment.
He thanked UNFPA for its
continuous support.
One of the main discussants,
Mr. Mohammed Bun Bida, the
Executive Director of Muslim
Family Counselling Services,
speaking on the situation of
sexual exploitation in Ashanti
Region, recounted how some
squatters in slummy areas specialise
in accommodating young
girls who travel to the city for
livelihood activities in exchange
for sex.
He said the situation is very
prevalent in Asafo, Ashtown
and other slums where Kayayes
mostly dwell.
He said his organization
is working together with the
Department of Gender/Children
and the Department of Social
Welfare on several rescue operations,
including child marriage
in the region and other parts of
Ghana.
He indicated that one of the
key challenges in the rescue
missions is the reluctance of the
victims to pursue cases when
culprits are accosted.
Furthermore, he called for
concerted efforts among stakeholders
to remedy the situation.
In a panel discussion that
ensued, Mad Cynthia Martinson,
the Regional Commissioner for
CHRAJ, urged all the participants
to report cases of abuse
to her office for the right legal
guidance.
She expressed her readiness
to refer cases to the appropriate
state institutions for redress or
prosecution when necessary.
Madam Sandra Gyima of
Ghana Health Service’s Adolescent
Health Corner also entreated
abuse people to seek medical
attention to curb any unforeseen
consequences of the abuse, such
as pregnancy and STIs.
She pledged that the Health
Corner is a youth-friendly and
confidential environment for
young people to share their challenges
in their sexual lives.
Mr. Bun Bida called for more
attention to ghettos and other
secluded areas since they are
the breeding ground for diverse
sexual improprieties.
He urged young people
to respect the bodies of their
colleagues and not to touch
inappropriately or make unwelcome
sexual advances and
expressions.