Tag: coronavirus in Ghana

Residents of regions that are not part of the lockdown over the novel Coronavirus have been advised to keep their distance from persons who have moved to those regions.

Following an announcement of a lockdown in Accra, Kumasi, Tema and Obuasi effective today, Monday March 30, 2020, there has been a mass movement of residents from the affected regions to other regions especially to the northern part of the country.

The development has sparked some wide apprehension and disapproval from residents of regions not affected by the lockdown.

Government is however calling for a strict observation of social distance from the returnees.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said at a press briefing on Sunday: “We are also asking residents of the other regions to respect the social distancing and preventing etiquette generally but also especially when engaging persons who have rushed into other regions ahead of these restrictions. Any such persons who have come into your regions, we encourage you to also advise that they keep in touch with the local health authorities and report if they do have any symptoms so that immediate attention is taken [But] at the same time observe social distancing and preventive etiquette that we have been speaking about.”

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah assured that contact tracing arrangements have been put in place to contain any issues that may arise out of the mass movement to other regions.

“There are teams of police, military and health in the other regions that will be assisting us with contact tracing and testing. So contact tracing and testing is not just limited to Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi” he said.

Meanwhile, Ghana Health Alert, a civil society organisation has called on government to take pragmatic measures to avert a looming danger of spread of the Coronavirus as a result of the panic travels to other regions.

“The GHA is concerned that without any medical screening whatsoever, these returning ‘Kayayie and Paa o paa’ workers have the greatest potential of carrying the Coronavirus to their rural hometowns in the Northern and Upper Regions of Ghana. In this regard, GHA calls on the government to ensure that all are properly screened in their originating locations and quarantined at their destination locations for the required 14 days and retested before they are cleared to join their helpless families and communities,” a statement signed by Executive Secretary Dr. Vida Yakong said.

Source: mynewsgh.com

President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged nominees of the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the proposed national Covid-19 Response Trust Fund to do everything within their mandate to complement the government’s efforts aimed at supporting the vulnerable and needy in the Ghanaian society as the country battles to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus in the nation.

In an interaction with the nominees of the Board of Trustees for the Covid-19 Response Public Trust Fund he proposed in his address to the nation on the 27th of March 2020, President Akufo-Addo indicated that he decided to meet with them ahead of the completion of the legal formalities for the establishment of the fund by the Attorney General to draw their attention to the fact that the fund is to compliment the work of government to deal with the impact of Covid-19 on the disadvantaged in the country.

“You have been put together for this exercise essentially to complement the efforts the government and the state is making over this crisis especially with a particular focus on the considerations that have to be made for the needy and the vulnerable. Whatever monies we raise, that is the target,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Government Support

The President assured the nominees that they will have the full support of the entire government machinery in the course of executing this mandate given to them.

“The machinery of government will be aligned to be able to support you for the work that you will be doing,” President Akufo-Addo noted.

Trust Accounts

The President urged the Bank of Ghana (BOG) to support the Board of Trustees to open Bank Accounts in selected banks through which potential contributors, both home and aboard, can use to deposit their donations to guarantee proper accountability of all funds realised.

Chairperson of the Board

Chairperson nominated for the proposed Covid-19 Trust Fund, Chief Justice Rtd. Justice Sophia Akuffo, in a brief response noted that they accept the challenge thrown to them by the President and they will work very hard to mitigate the likely effect on the target group for the setting up of the fund.

“We undertake to bear the charge you have placed on us with full integrity and efficiency so as to make sure that all our outcomes are transparent, they are quality and they fulfil the purpose for which the Trust is being set up,” Justice Rtd. Akuffo said.

Members of the Board

The eight-member Board will be chaired by former Chief Justice Rtd. Sophia A. B. Akuffo. The other members of the board are Archbishop Justice Akrofi, former Anglican Bishop of Accra and former Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa; Mr. Jude Kofi Bucknor, Mrs. Gifty Afenyi Dadzie, Else Addo Awadzi; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Ofori Sarpong; Chief Executive Officer of the Special Ice Group of Companies, Dr. Abdul-Sameed Tanko, and Dr. Collins Asare, who will also serve as the Secretary to the Board.

Source: classfmonline.com

Mr Boniface Gambila, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for Nabdam Constituency, has donated five boxes of alcohol based hand sanitizers to health centres within the constituency.

The sanitizers of 24 bottles in each box were given to the Nabdam sub-district health facilities namely, Sakoti, Pelungu, Nangodi, Logre/Kongo and Zanlerigu.

The health facilities are to also distribute the sanitizers to other CHPS Compounds in their various areas.

Mr Gambila, in a telephone interview with the Ghana News Agency, appealed to corporate institutions to support the people in the hinterland, especially health workers with more essentials to protect themselves and the citizenry against the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“This is not the time to talk and do nothing, I call upon all natives of Nabdam to make little contributions to the vulnerable groups and stop talking and unconstructive criticisms,” he said.

Mr Gambila also urged health professionals and the citizenry to adhere to the precautionary measures stated by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to regularly and thoroughly wash hands with soap under running water, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, avoid shaking hands.

He also advises them to be physically active, drinks plenty of water, eats healthy, avoids stress and has enough sleep, as these will also help them fight not only the COVID-19 but the already attacks of CSM during this dry hot season.

Mr Gambila advised the constituents to report to the health professionals people with suspected fever, coughing, sneezing and difficulty in breathing for urgent testing.

He said adherence to the above directives is key to the safety of health workers and the entire citizenry.

Source: GNA

Some households in the Asene-Manso Akroso District have acquired veronica buckets with tippy taps and soap and placed them at their doorsteps for handwashing to protect themselves against the coronavirus infection.

This came to light when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) went to the District to find out how people are complying with the directive of the President to help protect the country against the spread of the coronavirus.

In an interview, Madam Naomi Acquah, a porridge seller at Akyem Manso said, trading had become a challenge especially for food vendors since most passengers and pedestrians have refused to buy food at the roadside leading to low earnings.

Mr Robert Amewuda, the Environmental Health Unit Officer in the Asene- Manso-Akroso District advised people to wash their clothes immediately after use.

Mr Kofi Owusu, a taxi driver at Asene, said the restriction of movement declared by the government was a blow to taxi drivers and patronage of their services had dropped drastically.

Mr Adu Frimpong, the Headteacher of A.M.E Zion B. Primary School said, the COVID-19 fund created is a way for Ghanaians to demonstrate their financial commitment as citizens to help fight the virus.

Mr Frimpong said he was doing everything possible as a founder of the Campaign for Food Right of the Child Foundation, to use part of his salary to support the fund.

Source: GNA

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has appealed to the public to comply with the President’s directive on the two-week partial lockdown of some parts of the country effective Monday, March 30, 2020.

He said this is a necessary exercise, to curb the further spread of COVID-19 infections among the populace and reminded the public to stay at home for the safety of all.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye, who was giving an update on the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at a press briefing on Sunday, said the entire exercise must be given serious attention.

He said as was already mentioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his fourth televised address to the nation, the objective was to achieve five key objectives which sought to among others, limit and stop the importation of the virus which has been successfully achieved, and the next step was contained it’s spread.

He said the support of the security services including the army and police has been to ensure the enforcement of the exercise, with an emphasis of not arresting people and putting them in custody, but that people would understand the dangers posed by the pandemic globally and cooperate with the authorities to curb its spread.

Dr Kuma -Aboagye later gave a list of designated healthcare facilities in all the regions, where people with any healthcare challenges regarding COVID-19 could report for attention.

He also said the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital are mobilizing staff to handle the situation, while Accra, Tema and Kumasi have also trained more contact tracing teams, with additional support by psychologists for better interaction with affected persons and their communities.

He pleaded with the public to ensure early reporting of symptoms of suspected COVID-19 cases rather than hiding and presenting cases late to health facilities.

Dr Kaizia Malm, a Member of the Contact Tracing Team, said they have currently a pull of contacts that have been traced and the team is pursuing an aggressive testing programme for all of them.

She said the team would also pursue all the 2,400 persons who arrived with a total of 14 different flights before the travel ban was issued among others, and would maintain active surveillance to ensure that all cases were detected and tested.

She said the team currently does an average of 20 contacts per person, and when persons were not yet showing symptoms, they were made to self-quarantine at home with support from healthcare personnel, while those with severe conditions were sent to treatment facilities for further management.

Source: GNA

Mr Akwasi Aboagye, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, says all hotels can operate as expected and host their guests.

However, the hotel restaurants, gyms and other facilities will serve only the resident guests, subject to enhanced hygiene protocols and social distancing.

Mr Aboagye said this at a media briefing in Accra on Sunday, following the directives by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the imposition of restrictions on the movement of persons in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi.

The Ghana Tourism Authority under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and in conjunction with the National Security Task Force on COVID-19, issued other directives for the hospitality industry including the following:

All hotel staff would be provided special passes by National Security, which must be worn in addition to their normal IDs.

Food chains and restaurants must operate only pick-up and delivery services whilst hotel staff would be provided special passes.

All drinking bars, night clubs and pubs within the specified areas of restriction will remain closed during the period.

All the hospitality facilities should observe the safety protocols and precautionary measures on public gathering as spelt out in the imposition of Restriction Act.

Source: GNA

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Presidential Advisor on Health, says the Risk Response and Social Mobilization Team would embark on aggressive testing for COVID-19 during the two weeks restriction of movement in ‘hotspot’ areas.

He said the team would take the health profiles of persons, addresses of residents and their travel history, with the objective of containing the horizontal and local spread of the Coronavirus.

He said anybody who has come into contact with infected persons would be tested and also move from home to home for testing.

Speaking at a media briefing to update the public on COVID-19 in Accra, Dr Nsiah-Asare said, countries like Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Germany undertook similar aggressive testing and yielded dividends.

He said the Response Risk and Social Mobilisation Team would work closely with the Contact Tracing Team to ensure a successful testing of residents in the restricted areas-Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi.

He said those who would test positive for COVID-19 would be sent to isolation centres for treatment and assigned psychologists to them for counselling.

Dr Nsiah-Asare urged the public to continue observing the social distancing and safety protocols including covering of mouth when coughing and sneezing, frequent washing of hands with soap under running water, use of hand sanitizers, eat healthily and having enough sleep to boost the immune system.

He said all that government has been doing is intended to achieve five key objectives: limit and stop the importation of the virus, contain the spread of the virus, provide adequate care for the sick, limit the impact of the virus on social and economic lives; and inspire the expansion of domestic capability to deepen our self-reliance.

Ghana has confirmed 152 cases of COVID-19, with five deaths as of March 29.

Source: GNA

Commercial vehicles must now observe a one passenger the distance in the seating of the passengers they transport in compliance with the social distance protocol to limit the spread of COVID-19.

By this, three-rowed seating passenger vehicles, including taxis, must now carry not more than two passengers on a row, while those carrying four to five passengers on a row must not exceed three.

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), who announced this in a statement, copied to the Ghana News Agency, Accra, on Sunday, said the step was in response to the Presidential and the Ghana Health Service measures against the spread of COVID-19.

The statement was jointly signed by Mr Kwame Kuma, the National Chairman of the GPRTU and Mr John Benyawor, the National Chairman of the GRTCC.

“Members are kindly requested to comply with this new measure and ensure that in addition, all transport terminals have adequate running water basins, soap and sanitizers to enable passengers to wash and sanitize their hands before boarding,” it said.

“We count on all commercial vehicle drivers and passengers to cooperate with these measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. We are in this together. Stay safe, stay clean and stay calm,” the statement advised.

The leadership of the transport bodies has had consultations with the President over the measures.

Source: GNA

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Sunday denied reports of deploying troops to Kumasi, saying it does not also intend to do so.

Its role in the Operation COVID-19 Safety, it said, was also not to intimidate citizens but to provide security to them.

A statement signed by Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie, the Director-General of the Public Affairs Directorate said video, which has gone viral on social media platforms and reported by a television network that some troops had arrived at Kumasi to enforce the stay at home measure against the spread of COVID-19 was doctored.

“The fact is that the video showed troops who had completed the market disinfection exercise in Accra on Monday March 23, 2020, five clear days before the announcement of the partial lockdown was made,” it stated.

“The task of the Ghana Armed Forces is to provide security for the citizenry and not to intimidate anyone.

“The imputed threatening statement has been found to have been deliberately doctored.

“The threatening words attributed to the troops, are, therefore totally untrue and only deliberately staged with obvious intent.”

In broadcasting the report, the GAF said the network could have verified the authenticity of the information with it, adding that the failure to do so had created fear and anxiety among the populace and the people of Kumasi and its environs, in particular.

The resulting negative image for GAF, the statement said, could therefore not be over-emphasised.
It urged the public to disregard the report in its entirety and trust in the GAF as a Force for good.

“We accordingly demand a retraction and an unqualified apology to the GAF from your renowned station…; we trust in your usual sense of fairness and cooperation”.

Source: GNA

Operation COVID Safety, the national security task force enforcing the COVID-19 Safety Operations, says all is set for the lockdown of Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area, as directed by the President.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Dr Sayibu Pabi Gariba, Director, National Operations, Ghana Police Service, and a Member of the Operation COVID Safety, said in line with the Presidential Directive as part of the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the combined team of the police, the armed forces and other security agencies would be on the ground from 0100 hours on Monday, March 30, to enforce the lockdown in the affected areas.

Speaking on Sunday at a press briefing, he said there would be roadblocks at the Weija Tollbooth on the Accra-Winneba Road, at Adam Nana on the Kasoa-Amansaman Road, at Kakraba Junction on the Kasoa-Nyanyano Road.

The rest are Ayi-Mensah Toll Both on the Accra-Akropong Road; Asutsuare Junction on the Tema Akosombo Road; Oyibi on the Accra Dodowa Road; Santo on the Ashaiman-Madina Road, and at Tsopoli on the Tema Akosombo Road; as well as along the Tema-Accra Beach Road.

Within the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area, there would roadblocks on the Kumasi-Mampong Road at Mamponten; Takyi Number Two on the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, and all other principal roads leading into Kumasi.

DCOP Dr Gariba said their deployment would also cover market centres, shopping malls, and all the other areas that have been articulated by the President.

“We have set up our operations command centres, we have done our briefings. We have also deployed resources to the locations. Some crash barriers have been sent to appropriate locations within the day. And then of course our vehicles, logistics are in place,” he said.

“So, by the time that the President has set, you will see our security agencies in place.”

“We are set to enforce the Presidential Directive. But this is a humanitarian operation and that is how we are going to run it. It is not an operation that is going to intimidate the people,” DCOP Dr Gariba said.

“We are looking at the sensitivity of the people; we are serving and that is how we are going to run it. But in going forward we also want to convey to the people that security is a joint effort and joint action. We want to appeal to Ghanaians that they must also support the security agencies in delivering this (all) important task the President has given us. We want their cooperation and collaboration.”

He said his men would ensure that the Presidential Directive was enforced to the letter; adding that those in the exemption category would be granted passage once they can prove their identity with valid identification cards.

“And we will also make sure that we are flexible to be able to engage the people to serve them to serve the purpose of the country,” he said.

“We look at these operations as a humanitarian operation. It is not a war. It is a humanitarian operation. We are all fighting the coronavirus. So we need support from the population to be able to do that. We are not going to intimated anybody.”

He said the task force was rather going to support the Ghana Health Service and the people of Ghana to be able to fight the coronavirus pandemic and achieve the overall objective of the President.

DCOP Dr Gariba said their operations for the enforcement of the restrictions of movement of persons would go according to the demarcations that have been outlined by the President.

He said the task force was going to mount roadblocks along the peripheries of the demarcations but for security operations to be able to get the maximum effect, they were going to do outer cordons and inner cordons.

Colonel William Nortey, the Director of Army Operations, representing the Ghana Armed Forces, said the armed forces are providing military assistance to the civil authority with the police in the lead, adding that “we are in the background supporting”.

He said on the military side, they have mobilised over 2,000 army, navy and air force to support the police in executing the task.

Source: GNA

Mr Alex Djonoboah Tetteh, Member of Parliament for Sefwi- Akontombra Constituency has distributed a total of 12,312 hand sanitizers and 2,020 Veronica buckets to selected health facilities, markets and lorry stations in the constituency to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The beneficiaries included; the Akontombra health centre and market, Nsawora market and clinic as well as kromokrom clinic and market.

Mr Tetteh during the presentation advised them to follow all the laid down measures to help stop the spread of the pandemic which included; regular washing of hands under running water, regular exercise, observing social distancing and above all maintaining good hygiene.

He called on transport operators and market women to adhere strictly to the President’s directives since they encounter many more people on each passing moment.

Mr Tetteh who doubles as the Deputy Western North Regional Minister, also urged them not to politicize the disease, since it did not know political colours and asked them to educate others on the need to keep their environment clean since that was the only way to be free from the pandemic.
Some of the market women and transport operators commended the MP and health professionals for taking them through the proper way of hand washing and the need to use recommended hand sanitizers.

They said the arrival of the hand sanitizers was timely as there was scarcity of the commodity.

They also appealed to him to intensify public education by extending it to other areas of the district.

Source: GNA

The Hohoe Municipal Hospital in the Volta region has called for support in the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.

The Hospital is said to be in need of material resources and finance to organise its treatment centre and asked churches, corporate bodies, shops and traders to support it to get the treatment places ready.

A public safety announcement from the Hohoe Municipal Hospital and Hohoe Health Directorate has tasked all individuals returning from Accra, Tema, Obuasi and Kumasi to mandatorily quarantine themselves for two weeks.

The Hospital asked families in Hohoe to help in enforcing the directive adding that any traveller that would develop any symptoms of the virus; coughing, sneezing, fever, sore throat to call the hospital helpline for necessary actions.

Drivers and station masters from areas of confirmed cases were also asked to take names, contact numbers and traceable addresses of all passengers boarding their vehicles to help the Hospital in easy contact tracing.

The Hohoe Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit also called on all families to find separate rooms for relations returning from other regions for a period of 14 days while maintaining a strict social distance rule.

Source: GNA

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Paramount Chief of Oguaa Traditional Area has admonished residents in Cape Coast and its environs to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 protocols outlined by the government.

He said the protocols though in the best interest of the people of Ghana, could not be achieved if the public failed to comply.

Consequently, Osabarima issued a warning to his people to desist from going to the beach in large groups, which was prohibited due to the ban on social gathering to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Paramount chief condemned a recent video, where some residents in Cape Coast were seen partying at the beach despite the ban on the social gathering.

He said such practices would not be countenanced going forward, cautioning that whoever was caught would face the full rigorous of the law.

“The rate at which this disease is spreading is alarming. Recently Spain has overtaken China and the number of people dying by the day is alarming.

“We do not want that to happen in Ghana and more especially, Cape Coast. That is why I am appealing to everybody to abide by the regulations laid by the government.

“I am sure as time goes on, the government would review the measures put in place depending on the circumstances at the time. Let us all be law-abiding and go by the regulations for all to stay alive”, he added.

Source: GNA

A ban on public gathering including church activities has been imposed in the country following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Most churches have resorted to virtual services to keep in touch in its members.

Meanwhile, a few of the pastors who have been flouting the ban have been arrested and granted bail.

Speaking to this in an interaction with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh also known as Napo, wondered why some of the pastors insist on meeting the church members at church.

‘God is Omnipresent’ he said.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, issued a directive that all outdoor events, including funerals, church activities and naming ceremonies, be suspended.

Earlier, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah cautioned the general public to observe the directives given by government failure to do so would leave officials with no option than to involve security agencies.

Source: peacefmonline.com

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolga East Constituency Dr. Dominic Ayine, says he would have gone for a total lockdown of the country if he were to be the president of the republic.

The lawyer said the partial lockdwon announced by the president will not prevent movements from the hot spots to other regions such as the north.

He told parliamentary press corps that he would have gone for a total lockdown giving the nature of the crisis.

He was also not happy at the exemptions given questioning whether lawyers and their clients would have the opportunity to appear before the courts.

He also reiterated that the imposition bill passed was a bit problematic.

He said he would continue to emphasise that the president could have come under Article 31 of the Constitution declaring a state of emergency and have parliament determine the scope and content so they are able to take into account if he should go against it.

He accused the Majority of pushing the bill to enact exceptions to the fundamental rights in order to suspend the freedoms and rights of citizens.

This he described as ”palpable unconstitutional”.

Per what was done, he lamented that the president cannot be held into account should he be excessive in exercising his powers unless through court action.

He further described the situation as scary in a democratic country like Ghana.

He believes people are in the position to flout the restrictions or orders. However, he advised the public to obey based on common sense because we are in a public health crisis and a state of emergency.

Ghanaians he added owe themselves and neighbours a duty to lockdown and prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

The Minority in Parliament had described as “not useful” the Imposition of Restriction Bill 2020 which government says will help it deal with the spread of the coronavirus.

The legislation was laid in the House under a certificate of emergency in accordance with Article 21 (4) (c) and (d) of the Constitution.

After the third reading of the Bill, a voice count favoured its passage into law.

The bill essentially allows the President to impose restrictions reasonably required in the interest of defence, public safety, public health or the running of essential services.

It also allows the President to impose restrictions on movement or residence within Ghana of any persons.

The President could also restrict the freedom of entry into Ghana.
The bill additionally says the President could impose restrictions “for the purpose of safeguarding the people of Ghana against teaching or propagation of a doctrine which exhibits or encourages disrespect for the nationhood of Ghana, the national symbols and emblems, or incites hatred against other community members.”

It says the President can impose such restrictions through an executive order for a period not exceeding three months. If the restriction has to remain beyond that, the Executive order has to be renewed.

Anyone who flouts the restriction commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 1000 penalty units and not more than 5000 penalty units.

Each unit is GHS12, putting the range of fine at between GHS12,000 and GHS60,000. The convict could also be liable to a prison term of not less than three months and not more than six months or both a fine and imprisonment.

Pastor Brian Amoateng the founder of Brian Jones Ministries, a non-denominational evangelism network that spreads the gospel of Jesus across has made a brilliant move.

This comes right on the back of a strick directive given by the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for many parts of Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Obuasi to be locked down.

It became necessary for Ghana to declare the lockdown after the number of cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the country has kept increasing day by day.

It would be recalled that the top Ghanaian pastor was recently in the news for saying that the church was not responsible for providing hand sanitizers for members.

This was after Ghanaian celebrities including Efia Odo went public to state that it will be prudent for the men of God in Ghana to buy hand sanitizers for their church members.

Pastor Brian Amoateng was seriously criticized for his words, and he later came out and finally apologised for his earlier comments which most people have found to be in bad taste.

SOURCE: UGC
Source: UGC

In other news, a video has surfaced on social media showing a very easy way that coronavirus or COVID-19 can be contracted by countless people on a daily basis if normal life activities continue.

The fast-trending footage sighted by YEN.com.gh shows how numerous people walking casually on the street were all touching the same surface to aid their balance.

It appears that the route is highly used by the locals in the area because all of them seemed to hold the metallic surface without even realizing it.

Source: yen.com.gh

The latest update by the Ghana Health Service has shown that the total number of patients who have recovered from the deadly coronavirus in Ghana has doubled, a 100% increase.

In the previous report shared in the morning of March 27, 2020, on the update of the coronavirus cases in Ghana, only one person had recovered.

However, the latest update by the Ghana Health Service that has come in the evening of March 27, 2020, shows that the previous number has thankfully doubled.

131 becomes the net number of patients living with COVID-19 in Ghana because out of the total 137, four people have passed on and two people have fully recovered.

It is only hoped that the number of recoveries would keep growing as the days go by, so that coronavirus would be gone from Ghana for good.

Also, out the total 137 cases that have been recorded, 59 are from the routine surveillance among the general public whilst 78 come from the people in mandatory quarantine.

In other news, a Ghanaian gentleman Opoku Ababio and his wife Dorothy Opoku along with three other accomplices have been arrested for making and selling fake hand sanitizers.

In a video report sighted YEN on the official Facebook handle of Joy FM, the illegal hand sanitizer manufacturing unit was at a suburb of Techiman where all the five suspects were arrested.

Ghana as a country is witnessing a shortage in hand sanitizers following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country which requires constant washing of hands or use of hand sanitizers.

As at the evening of 27 March 2020, fifty-nine (59) COVID-19 cases including four (4) deaths have been confirmed from the regular surveillance systems. All the four (4) deaths had underlying chronic medical conditions

visit https://t.co/bRAGeXAGNk for details pic.twitter.com/XtY8v7Qsig

— Ministry of Health, Ghana (@mohgovgh) March 27, 2020

source: yen.com.gh

It was expected, mostly because it had been rumored largely throughout the week; a possible lockdown by government in the face of the dreaded coronavirus.

Many citizens sat, glued to their television sets , awaiting another address by his Excellency the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Friday evening.

Soon it was announced! A lockdown for at least 2 weeks, till a significant reduction in numbers is seen.

A day after, and countless persons are in the streets, at different points; the market, the gas station, the supermarkets, all for one thing, to get enough for their homes for the period.

Social distancing; keeping at least a distance of a meter away from others to avoid further spread of the virus, has totally been ignored on a day like this as hundreds, maybe thousands dash out for foodstuff.

Face and nose masks are all over, even substitutes of handkerchiefs or pieces of cloths are also being used by some for protection.

Many others are moving around practically without any form of protection, traders especially.

What people may not know is that the huge crowds are out there, make it even more riskier for people.
In effect, this is a much easier way to spread the pandemic, more because there would be a lot of interactions at close length, there would be a lot of surface touching etc.

Meanwhile, the President has allowed for food-chain providers to still work so as to provide food for the populace. The Liquified Petroleum gas Marketers association also says it will not be affected by the partial lockdown.

The question then arises; why cant people wait to purchase these goods and services at their convenience or when they need it, to avoid an exacerbation of the already disturbing situation?

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The West Gonja Catholic Hospital designated as a treatment centre for the novel coronavirus in the Savannah Region is without Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

This was made known by the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Vitalis A.Saadare in an exclusive interview with PAD FM’s Ananpansah B. Abraham.

He said albeit a regional treatment centre, they were not capable of taking samples, not to talk of managing cases should the worst happen due to the lack of basic protection materials.

The hope of receiving government consignment in his view was long overdue, underscoring the need to protect health personnel in their line of duty, since if they die in the process of taking care of patients there would be no one to take care of ensuing cases.

“…But as far as the Personal Protection Equipment are concerned which comprises the suit and all its accoutrements, we do not have a single one. As we speak, we do not have the suit here in this hospital, so if we happen to get any suspected case we would not even be able to take a sample. Taking us back to the recent events, we suspected a case last week. We brought the gentleman to the ward and had to take a sample. And you cannot take the sample when you’re not properly protected. So we had to wait for 24 hours to make a request for just one(of the protective cloth) from Tamale,” he stated.

According to him, subsequent to the case involving the Damongo based Italian returnee which proved negative, the hospital has not received any support to acquire these equipment and would not be able to take a sample if a suspected case is recorded.

This is despite the fact that the facility spent not less than thousand Ghana cedis in transporting the samples to Kumasi for the necessary examination.

He said the hospital has put together a preparedness plan and would need a total amount of Ghc217,800.00 to fund the plan and another Ghc878,965.00 for all Diocesan Health Services in Damongo.

He appealed to government and other well-meaning bodies to come to the aid of the hospital.

The Bishop of the Diocese and Chief Executive Officer for the hospital, Most Rev.Peter Paul Angkyier, who was on a one-day visit to the facility commended management and staff for the good work they were doing in the midst of little.

He bemoaned the lack of logistics and equipment at the recently commissioned Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the COVID-19 treatment centre.

He commended a weekly political program hosted by Ananpansah B Abraham on PAD FM for helping to dispel rumours about the Coronavirus and redirecting the conversion to the preparedness of the region in containing the spread of the virus, in terms of logistics.

Prayer, he said was not enough without the preparedness of the human person.

Present also were the normalisation committee members of the hospital led by Fr.Lazarus Annyereh.

Ghana’s case count now stands at 137 with four deaths and two reported recovery cases.

The Upper West Region in Northern Ghana has confirmed its first case of COVID-19, involving a 42-year old Ghanaian who visited UK and Spain and returned to Ghana through Egypt.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced a partial lockdown of Accra and Kumasi, the epicentres of the coronavirus diseases in Ghana effective Monday, March 30, 2020.

Source: Ananpansah B Abraham