President says no decision yet on lifting ban on public gatherings

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated that government has not yet taken a decision on when to lift the restrictions on public gatherings which have been put in place to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to him, even though a lot of information has been gathered on the geographical footprint of the virus, which has influenced the manner in which the country has handled the outbreak, the issue of relaxing the restrictions on public gatherings is undecided at the moment.

He made these remarks when he addressed a webinar series by Africa.com. “We have not taken a decision on when public gathering can resume,” he said.

Commendation

President Akufo-Addo has been praised, both locally and internationally, for the manner in which he has handled the Covid-19 outbreak in Ghana. The country, as of April 28, 2020, has 1,671 confirmed cases of the respiratory infection, 188 recoveries and 16 deaths.

Measures taken include a partial lockdown of the four hotpots of the outbreak – Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa – which has now been lifted. However, a ban on public gatherings has been extended for another two weeks.

President Akufo-Addo believes the extension was necessary, and admonished the public to adhere to the directive, if the country’s current progress is to be improved.

Measures

Addressing the over 3,000 participants who tuned into the webinar, the President said Ghana’s borders, which have been closed to prevent the influx of foreigners carrying the disease into the country, will remain closed, saying “…that is a measure we are not about to undo anytime from now.”

The overall picture, President Akufo-Addo noted, is that the rate of infection has remained relatively constant.

With a positivity rate of 1.58 per cent, he indicated: “We are not seeing this large explosion that was feared for our country at the beginning and, therefore, the ability to manage those who have been affected is much more within our means.”

President Akufo-Addo said his government is making a significant preparation and investment in the public health system, not just for Covid-19 but also enable it cater to the country’s health needs as a whole.

He added measures are also being put in place to boost Ghana’s domestic production to wean the country off heavy dependence on importation.

Home-made approach

Speaking to the theme of the conference, “This isn’t the West – How Africa’s Informal Sector Reacts to Covid-19”, President Akufo-Addo said the attention of his government has been to adopt a Ghana-focused approach in dealing with the disease.

He said although tackling the virus has been a difficult and expensive venture, “we have said that, as much as possible, we should look at the Ghanaian first.”

About The Author