Former Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah
A former Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, implement a lockdown of the country. This, he says, will help to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Dr Omane-Boamah’s call comes after similar calls were made by some other organisations, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
In a statement issued yesterday, Dr Omane Boamah said while Ghana’s population is young, the country has “weaker health systems that cannot sustain a full blown intra-community outbreak”.
He also drew attention to the fact that “our settlements and transportation (tro tro, taxi) systems are very weak and crowded.”
“Furthermore, we also have people with diabetes, hypertension, pulmonary diseases such as Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis, among others, who will be terribly affected if COVID-19 gets out of hand in Ghana, our dear country.
“Assuming 200 people (God forbid) need ventilators at the same time for respiratory support in Ghana, do we have enough anaesthetists and logistics to cover them while at the same time ensuring we have enough to take care of other medical and surgical emergencies?” he quizzed.
He has, thus, admonished the government “not to rely on the fact that COVID-19 is not very devastating on populations such as ours – because we have a relatively young population as compared to Europe and we do not have many people who smoke”.
Lockdown not ruled out
Meanwhile, the government has stated that the discussion on lockdown has not been ruled out in the options available in fighting the deadly plague.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said at a press conference yesterday that the lockdown, among other available options, will all be considered by the government upon expert advice.
Suspension, suspension
In related development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFRI) has put on hold the attestation of documents for their clients who patronise their services.
A statement from the Ministry said the move forms part of the stringent measures set aside to contain the spread of Covid-19 among individuals.
“As the nation strives to contain the spread of covid-19, the ministry of foreign affairs and regional integration continues to take steps to ensure safety as priority for its clients and staff,” the statement read.
“The public is entreated to cooperate with the ministry as it implements measures to contain the covid-19 pandemic,” it added.
