TheCable

The Ghanaian government is considering a ban against aircraft from Nigeria and the three other West African countries that have recorded cases of Ebola.

The possible ban is seen as a measure to prevent the outbreak of the disease, which has been generating global concern and attracting series of stringent actions from different governments.

On Thursday, the government of Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency on the disease, while Liberia shut most of its borders with neighbouring countries.

Addressing a news conference at Accra, the country’s capital, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Ghana’s communications minister said a particular stance has not been taken on the issue, as careful study of the situation is still being made.

“The issue about whether to bar airlines from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia into our country or the opposite direction is something that we will study very closely,” he said.

“We will consider all the implications, consider the readiness at our borders and then come to a reasonable conclusion on that.”

Bomah also expressed Ghana’s preparedness to combat the scourge of the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 729 people have died from the disease since its outbreak in February.