Author: Chris Kodo

Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has revealed that some people have hijacked the Covid-19 emergency lines to make ”prank calls”.

According to him, “some people dial the line just to test if it is working” and others call to make jokes; hence depriving people who need help from reaching the authorities.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, government has advised Ghanaians who may reveal symptoms of the virus or have people who fall under such category to contact the emergency lines.

Such persons are to dial 112 and receive necessary tips to ensure they don’t get others infected. Though 112 is to help curtail the spread of the virus, some unscrupulous persons are misusing the line.

In an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah disclosed an overwhelming number of prank calls from January 2020 saying about 1.8 million calls were all made in jest.

”When they call and you pick up, they will tell you they were testing the number. Chairman, that is 99.16% . . .these were prank calls,” he told the host.

He expressed utter disgust over the behaviour of some Ghanaians who do not see the seriousness of the emergency lines.

“Here is the problem! If you call because you want to test the line, it means you’re depriving people who really need help from reaching the emergency services,” he pointed out.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is therefore pleading with people “joking with the 112 to stop immediately . . . in the 112 database, they had recorded 1.9 million calls from January to I think last week. Out of the 1.9 million phone calls, 1.8 are prank calls”.

”If you call more than once and it’s a prank call, we will block your line. What blocking your line means the day you will be in dire need of the emergency line, we won’t pick up. We appeal to you to stop the prank calls to give opportunity to infected persons so that we can take their samples for testing to avoid everybody rushing to the hospitals,’ he advised.

Source: peacefmonline.com

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) say military men involved in brutalities of innocent civilians who go contrary to the stay at home directive by the president are not members of Operation COVID Safety.

According to them in a statement signed by Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director of Public Relations, videos circulating on social media depicting such acts are doctored and re-cycled videos of past events some which did not even originate in Ghana.

“It would be recalled that on Saturday, 28th March 2020, TV 3 News carried a news item purportedly showing the arrival of troops in Kumasi to ensure residents conform to the partial lockdown directives by the President. The purported recording featured a voice which issued threats to residents of the Ashanti Region of intended brutalities by the Military.

This reportage, after our investigation, was found to be a doctored video. The said troops were in fact, part of a disinfection exercise which took place recently in Accra but had no bearing to the restrictions programme currently underway,” the statement said.

The GAF is of the opinion that “the deliberate circulation of unrelated and doctored social media material is orchestrated by certain individuals with the objective of casting the security agencies in the ongoing operation in a bad light”.

About Operation COVID Safety

The Operation COVID Safety is the joint security task force enforcing the lockdown in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Please read the full GAF’s statement below.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The Ghana Health Service has disclosed that some 3 persons out of the 161 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Ghana have tested negative after several tests.

According to the service, some additional 31 persons who were under mandatory quarantine have significantly responded to treatment, shown no symptoms and have been discharged from admission.

They will be under home management, pending several other tests to confirm their recovery status.

Information on the GHS official COVID-19 update page said,

“Three (3) of the confirmed cases have fully recovered and reverted to negative status for COVID-19 after repeat test following recovery from symptoms.

As at 31st March 2020, additional thirty-one (31) confirmed cases have significantly improved with no symptoms and have been discharged from admission for home care pending repetition of laboratory tests. This adds to the 18 that were earlier being managed from home and bring the number of cases on home care to forty-nine (49).”

It further noted that,

“Processes for enhanced contact tracing and laboratory testing have been initiated. A total of 1,185 contacts have been identified and are being followed up.”

Meanwhile, 9 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported from NMIMR since the last update at 08:30hrs on 30th March 2020.

“All nine (9) were reported from Accra, three (3) of them travelled to Ghana within the past 14 days from Germany, France and Hungary respectively but for six (6) of them there is no history of travel outside.

The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) also reported on tests from 77 samples including samples from 41 asymptomatic contacts of a case from Tamale Teaching Hospital and all are NEGATIVE for COVID-19.”

This brings up to a total of 161 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana, including five 5 deaths as of 31 st March 2020 at 15:00Hr.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The Northern Regional Authorities have quarantined five Malians who were travelling from Kumasi to Tamale.

The five were part of 78 passengers in a Malian registered vehicle which was intercepted by security officials in the region.

Speaking to Citi News, the Northern Regional, Minister Salifu Saed said samples of the five-persons have been taken for testing.

“Northern region is like a transit point for the Sahelian people so they travel from Niger, Mali and others. They passed here with trucks, some are from Niger, Burkina and others. Currently, there is a vehicle parked at TTA because it is a vehicle from Mali with both Malian and Nigerian nationals. The medical team is checking up for any symptoms of COVID-19,” he added.

Tamale, the capital town of the Northern region has reported two COVID-19 cases.

This has led to a quarantine of 36 staff of the Tamale Teaching Hospital over a possible COVID-19 infection after coming into contact with two of the ten foreign nationals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamale.

President Nana Akufo-Addo declared a two-week partial lockdown of Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa as Ghana began its most drastic measure to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The lockdown will last from Monday, 31st March 2020 to 12th April 2020.

Ghana joins South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Mali, among others, in Africa to have announced some restrictions of movement to curb the spread of the virus which has killed over 30,000 people across the globe.

Source: citinewsroom 

The Northern Region Minister, Salifu Saeed, has revealed that government is facing difficulties in repatriating the ten foreign nationals who tested positive for Coronavirus to their countries.

The Ghana Health Service on Sunday, March 29 announced that the Northern Region capital of Tamale had recorded 10 cases of the novel infectious disease.

The cases, eight Guineans and two Burkinabes who traveled from Burkina Faso and Togo through unapproved routes to Ghana, had been kept under state mandatory quarantine since Saturday, March 28.

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in an interview on New Day on TV3 Monday revealed that government was preparing to repatriate the foreigners to their countries for treatment.

But speaking on Tamale-based television station Sagani, the Northern Regional Minister said, “Their countries are refusing to take them back”.

Some 36 health workers at the Tamale Teaching Hospital who came in contact with the patients have also been put on mandatory quarantine.

Meanwhile, one of the patients, a female has reportedly escaped.

The patient scaled the walls of the Guest House where they were under quarantine, the Minister revealed.

“The patient scaled the walls at the blind side of the security and escaped.”

The Security has commenced a manhunt for her.

Border Patrols

Salifu Saeed, who is also Chairman of the Northern Regional Security Council, revealed that borders in the north are being patrolled by the military and other security agencies.

Source: 3news.com

Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare has revealed that tests have been conducted on 2547 people so far in Ghana

Dr. Nsiah Asare noted that as at Monday, March 30, 2020 tests conducted at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in the capital as well as the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine (KCCR) confirmed the tally.

He made the revelation on Peace FM’s Morning Show Tuesday morning; adding that the 152 positive cases of Coronavirus recorded were from the total 2547 tested.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu has indicated that 31 persons out of the 152 reported positive cases have recovered from the coronavirus and have been discharged pending observation from their homes.

According to Mr Agyeman Manu, this shows that the cases are being well managed in the country, stressing that all five persons who have died were aged and had an underlying illness.

Some parts of the country, namely Greater Accra Region and Ashanti Region have entered day two of a lockdown directed by President Akufo-Addo as a containment measure against the rapid spread of the disease.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The University of Ghana has announced that all 94 primary contacts of a student who tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) have tested negative after going through the mandatory 14-day period of quarantine.

The University says the contacts have since been bused to their destinations in and outside Accra.

It will be recalled that on March 13, 2020, an imported case of COVID-19 involving a non-resident student who returned to Ghana from an international trip was reported.

As a preventive and precautionary measure, lectures on all University of Ghana campuses, including clinical rotations and practicals, were suspended on March 15, 2020, by the University. This was followed by the closure of the University on March 16, 2020, in compliance with the directive by the President of the Republic of Ghana.

“Eighty-two (82) students and twelve (12) employees were identified as primary contacts. Seventy-four (74) of the primary contacts (students) who were present on campus at the time the University received information about the COVID 19 case, were asked to self-quarantine on campus to avoid the risk of community spread,” a public notice by the UG Registrar said.

“The remaining eight (8) who had already left the campus for their homes as well as the employees, were advised by the University of Ghana Emergency Response Team (UG-ERT) and the National Contact Tracing Team (NCTT) to self-quarantine at home.

The University admitted that it faced some initial logistical challenges before the contacts were relocated to a quarantine facility on campus which paved the way for easy management of the situation.

The students have since left quarantine for their homes in and outside Accra.

“With all the primary contacts (students and staff) testing negative for COVID-19 as certified by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, and with the closure of the University, buses were made available by the University of Ghana to convey students who live in and outside Accra to their various destinations, such as Obuasi, Kumasi, Tamale, Upper West, Cape Coast and Takoradi. They have also received the necessary counselling and education on precautionary measures with respect to COVID-19″.

Meanwhile, the affected student in isolation at a National Quarantine facility is reported to be making steady progress,” the statement said.

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

Eastern Region is yet to record a case of Coronavirus after all but one of 28 suspected cases tested negative.

The result of the one is still pending, according to the Eastern Region Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Alberta Adjabeng Biritwum-Nyarko.

But she indicated that three out of four persons are under self-isolation after being traced as in the line of contact of one of the infected patients in Accra.

“Three of them have so far tested negative and the other one returned to Accra.”

Dr Biritwum-Nyarko said so far 33 persons from coronavirus-hit countries are residing in the region.

“Samples have been taken from two, which all tested negative.

“The rest are under observation and monitoring by the District Health Directorate in their respective districts of residence across the region and shall be tested soon.”

She urged residents to remain calm and that the Service will continue to intensify preparedness and response activities and heighten surveillance in the region.

She admonished residents to take the precautionary measures seriously.

Source: 3news.com

Four municipalities in the Eastern region have set up at least 15 police checkpoints following fears of an increasing coronavirus transmission.

The checkpoints are within the Akuapem North, Akuapem South, New Juaben South Municipal Assemblies and Okere District Assembly, a joint statement read.

Political and health authorities within these areas said they have observed an increase in population as people flee Kasoa, Accra and Kumasi which have been locked down to contain the spread of the deadly virus that has killed five in Ghana.

Since the President, last Friday, announced the lockdown which took effect Monday, there have been several reports of people travelling outside the three affected areas.

There are concerns a mass movement could spread the virus even further as Ghana tries to deal with more than 100 cases of coronavirus.

In response, the municipal and district chief executives in these four areas in the Eastern region say, “public Health workers would be present at these check points to take temperatures of people and direct abnormal cases to the appropriate authorities.”

High temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius could be a symptom of coronavirus infection.

source: theghanareport.com

Some local assemblies in the Eastern Region have complained about the influx of people in the region following the lockdown of parts of the country.

Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi are currently under lockdown following a directive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in an attempt to combat the coronavirus pandemic which has so far infected some 152 people and led to the death of five others.

The lockdown came into effect on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to escape the lockdown, some people in the coronavirus-hit areas have moved into the Eastern Region, which lies between the Greater Accra Region and the Ashanti Region.

The leadership of the Juaben South, Akuapem North Municipal Assembly, Akuapem South and Okere Municipal Assemblies have thus tightened security in their respective areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As part of measures to prevent persons with the virus from entering such areas, the four municipal assemblies in a joint statement said they are mounting barriers at about 15 points where security officials together with “Public health workers would be present at these checkpoints to take the temperature of people and direct abnormal cases to the appropriate authorities.”

“We wish to assure all our stakeholders that these measures are taken in the interest of the people and citizens would only last for two weeks subject to review and that all the steps taken would help mitigate the impact of influx of people from other parts of the country that could possibly lead to the spread of the virus in the municipalities and district. It is therefore expected that as law-abiding citizens, we should cooperate with the assemblies to ensure that lives are protected and together, we shall overcome this too,” the statement assemblies added.

All hotels and guest houses have also been asked to furnish the four assemblies with the number of visitors they receive for the necessary action to be taken.

Food vendors, chop bars, restaurants have also been asked to only provide “take away” services as all pubs, drinking spots have also been directed to shut down until further notice.

Market women and traders at Adawso market, Asenema market, Agartha market, Koforidua Central market, Juaben Serwaa market, Zongo markets, and the beads market have been directed to run a rotational system to avoid crowding.

The Information Services Department of these assemblies would also carry out public education to encourage enhanced personal hygiene and the measures outlined in the directives as the police and emergency response teams step up patrols to ensure strict compliance.

Source: citinewsroom.com