The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has suggested that the government is considering possible options to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.
Oppong Nkrumah said this while responding to calls for a localised lockdown after the continuous spike in coronavirus cases which has pegged Ghana’s case count mark over 18,000.
“In terms of the possibility of the reintroduction of restrictions, we have always said that all cards remain on the table,” the Minister said.
“As the analysis goes on, how we have complied with this bit of the easing will inform the next line of action. A re-imposition of restrictions in some areas or further easing will all be determined by the outcomes as we observe them moving forward,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah explained.
During the initial cases recorded in the country, the government saw the need to rather be ahead of the virus and not the other way round. This resulted in the initiation of a partial lockdown of parts of the country.
According to health experts, the move will allow officials to be able to test and identify persons with the virus for early treatment.
As a result, Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa, were been under a partial lockdown for a three-week period in which Ghana’s COVID-19 case count at the time was at 1,042.
However, on April 19, 2020, President Akufo-Addo lifted the partial lockdown on some parts of the country. Although some individuals and groups kicked against the revocation of the decision, the government attributed the decision to science and data.
Ghana’s coronavirus case count had reached 8,070 when the President further eased restrictions on public gatherings on May 31, 2020. Religious gatherings, schools, weddings among others resumed partially under strict conditions.
Churches and mosques, for example, are to allow only 100 congregants while schools are to open for final year students in tertiary and WAEC candidates.
The cap on participants for private burials has also been raised to 100 persons.
With the latest update on figures from the Ghana Health Service indicates that Ghana has a total of 18,134 coronavirus cases, 13,550 clinical recoveries and 117 deaths, leaving 4,467 active cases.
In the presence of these increased number of cases, Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) is currently engaging in a voter registration exercise nationwide ahead of the 2020 general elections.
Although the EC has assured the public of adhering to safety protocols, the exercise has already received several accusations over failure to practice social distancing.
