Coronavirus: Travel from Accra to northern Ghana increases at Neoplan station

Operators of the Neoplan station in Accra say they have been recording a spike in travel from Accra to Northern Region in the wake of the novel coronavirus detection in Ghana.

According to them, a significant number of the travellers have been head porters, popularly known as kayayei.

A majority of them are known to migrate from northern Ghana in search of work in Accra.

Aside from most of the cases being detected in Accra, there are fears there will be a lockdown of the Greater Accra Region.

Speaking to Citi News, the first trustee of the Neoplan Drivers Union, John Tetteh also noted that they are seeing less travel into the city.

“We observed yesterday that buses to the north were moving at a faster pace especially the women tagged as kayayei… I am not surprised because maybe they have heard that there may be a lockdown,” he said.

“If you look at the way they live here, it means they have to go back to their various hometowns so that if there should be a lockdown, they can be saved in their various homes.”

Reports from the North indicate head porters have been returning home since last weekend.

In Bimbilla for example, some 90 head porters arrived from Agbloshie last weekend.

They were screened by health workers in the Bimbilla hospital.

On the question of a possible lockdown in parts of the country, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said the government is close to making a decision.