NEW YORK CITY mayor-elect will travel to Ghana despite growing concerns over the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant worldwide.
Ghana is not on the list of Omicron-related travel bans.
Adams (pictured) said on Monday that he will make the trip to fulfil a promise he made to himself following the 400-year-anniversary of slavery in America – which occurred in 2019.
‘I made a promise to myself that I would visit Ghana following the 400 year anniversary of slavery in America and the election, to show how far we have come and remember how far we still must go,’ Adams told the New York Post on Monday.
The mayor-elect will be making the trip for a week and is scheduled to return to the US on December 8. He said that he will ‘follow the science and public health professionals’ and that travel to Ghana, in West Africa, has not been banned.
The 400th year anniversary of slaves being brought to America was celebrated in 2019 with the Congressional Black Caucus and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi leading a delegation to Ghana.
Descendants of slaves were then motivated to return to commemorate the anniversary. Adams hinted on Monday that the outcome of the election played a pivotal part in the timing of his travel.
‘This election to me was, among other things, about resetting a negative narrative so that we can have a more just and united future. I will continue to be in contact with the transition team on our progress toward January 1, and with the mayor on pressing matters including Omicron while I’m in Ghana,’ he said.
Adams, a former NYPD officer, was initially said to be reconsidering his trip after the variant was first announced, but said in a statement that plans to travel to the West African country are still in place.
He is fully vaccinated and recently received the COVID-19 booster shot.
