Ghanaian pastor, Dr Michael Boadi Nyamekye has taken it upon himself to distribute food items to all the vulnerable affected in this lockdown period in Accra and its environs.
He made this announcement on his Facebook page as he indicated the location he will be going and also asked anyone who is in need to call them for them to be sorted.
Sharing the post, he wrote;
“Off to Taifa, Tantra Hills and Pokuase for our delivery! Again, just give us a call if you need food items!
We will be coming to your area soon.
Please stay safe. God bless us all.â€
All Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) offices in the Greater Accra region, Greater Kumasi and the Awutu Senya East area, will not operate during the period of the partial lockdown that starts from the dawn of Monday, March 30, 2020.
Consequently, all staff are to stay home.
According to the GRA, all other officers in the regions outside the affected areas, however, must continue to report to work. But they must strictly adhere to the social distancing directives and all protocols relating to the prevention of COVID-19 that have been communicated.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner-General, Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah, the GRA said: “All heads of offices within the affected areas are to ensure that their office premises are secured by Sunday, March 29, 2020. They are also to ensure that all equipment, including air conditioners and computers are properly tuned off.
“Security officers in the affected offices are to be on duty to provide the needed security and will be assisted by officers of the Preventive Department of the Customs Division. These officers will be provided with official GRA passes to enable them to attend to their duties when necessary.â€
It added: “All staff are advised to adhere strictly to the directives given by the President of the Republic of Ghana.
“Management assures all staff of its commitment to their well-being and will communicate additional directives to staff where necessary.â€
Meanwhile, the GRA says all taxpayers will be provided with bank accounts and email addresses to enable them pay their taxes via banks.
The Kasoa stretch, our description for the area from this Central Regional bustling town as it winds away towards Winneba, has earned an unenviable notoriety in recent times.
The area was a major receptacle for hordes of refugees from the then civil war-torn Liberia and local criminals who joined them in Budumburam in the outskirts of Kasoa.
Although the refugees have largely returned to their country of origin, some of them are still living there and joined by Nigerian criminals, a dangerous amalgam of bad guys has been created who unleash a reign of terror not only in the surrounding areas but even in Accra.
Many criminal activities, some of them murderous, have taken place in this general area but hardly have these warranted the kind of action required in such circumstances.
The toll is countless and unless the criminals are made to understand that the place cannot remain a safe haven for them indefinitely, they would continue to rob, maim and even kill, their stock-in-trade.
The suspected murderers of the Sogakope assemblyman were traced to the stretch and many before it.
It would not be surprising if many wanted criminals are taking cover here.
In a society where people do not report suspicious characters to the law enforcement agents, we should not expect much from the public. A better way of fishing the criminals out would be preferably and this should be a consistent module.
Some police officers met their untimely death along this stretch. Sometime ago, a joint military/police operation was undertaken at Kasoa to rid the place of the human venoms. It was short-lived and very soon it was business as usual with the stretch suffering some of its worst crimes.
We can bet that the criminals consider themselves somewhat invincible because, after all, they have operated near indefinitely.
Besides harbouring hardened robbers, the locations are havens for hired assassins, some of whom have been in action lately.
Rival chiefs have used them to settle their scores; the outcome of which turned bloody in the end.
Even as we concentrate on the coronavirus and how to manage it, we wish to remind the security agents that the criminals would use these worrying moments to embark on surprise missions from their Kasoa bases.
Until a major operation is undertaken to rid the stretch of the criminals, the Kasoa Divisional Police Command should be provided with the necessary logistics to police the area.
In such areas where criminals are strong and rely on a sophisticated network of links, intelligence is critical.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has imposed a two-week partial lockdown on Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi from Monday, March 30, 2020, 1 am.
These cities, which have been identified as the epicentres of the novel coronavirus in Ghana have been shut down as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
Ghana currently has a total number of 137 recorded cases, with four deaths and two recoveries.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, in a national address on Friday, March 27, 2020 stated that “effective 1 am on Monday, 30th March, some forty-eight hours from now, I have imposed, pursuant to the powers granted the President of the Republic, under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), restrictions on movement of persons in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA, which includes Awutu Senya East), and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, for a period of two (2) weeks, subject to review.â€
He said the decision “will give us the opportunity to try to halt the spread of the virus, and scale-up effectively contact tracing of persons who have come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and, if necessary, quarantine and isolate them for treatment, should they prove to have the virus.â€
He, however, made exemptions to this directive. Some essential service providers will not be forced to lock down.
The list of services to be exempted from the restrictions as announced by President Akufo-Addo are as follows:
Members of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary;
Production, distribution and marketing of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medicine, paper and plastic packages.
Environmental and sanitation activities;
VALCO staff
Road and Railway construction workers;
Mining workers;
Fisherfolk;
Members of the security agencies assigned lawful duties;
The staff of electricity, water, telecommunications, e-commerce and digital service providers; and
Fuel stations staff.
The Minister of Information subsequently took to Twitter to explain that the media is also part of those exempted from the restrictions.
Full list of affected areasÂ
In Greater Accra, the following areas will be affected:
1. Accra Metropolis;
2. Tema Metropolis;
3. Tema West Municipality;
4. Ledzokuku Municipality;
5. Krowor Municipality;
6. Adentan Municipality;
7. Ashiaman Municipality;
8. La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality;
9. La-Dade-Kotopon Municipality;
10. Okaikwei North Municipality;
11. Ablekuma North Municipality;
12. Ablekuma West Municipality;
13. Ablekuma Central Municipality;
14. Ayawaso East Municipality;
15. Ayawaso North Municipality;
16. Ayawaso West Municipality;
17. Ayawaso Central Municipality
18. Ga West Municipality;
19. Ga North Municipality;
20. Ga Central Municipality;
21. Ga South Municipality;
22. Ga East Municipality;
23. Korle-Klottey Municipality;
24. Weija/Gbawe Municipality;
25. Kpone Katamanso Municipality; and
26. Awutu Senya East Municipality.
In the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, the following areas are affected:
1. Kumasi Metropolis;
2. Asokwa Municipality;
3. Suame Municipality;
4. Old Tafo Municipality;
5. Oforikrom Municipality;
6. Asokore Mampong Municipality;
7. Kwadaso Municipality;
8. Atwima Nwabiagya Municipality;
9. Kwabre East Municipality;
10. Ejisu Municipality;
11. Afigya-Kwabre South District;
12. Bosomtwi District;
13. Atwima Kwanwoma District; and
14. Atwima Nwabiagya North District.
Previous calls for lockdown
In as much as many groups were calling for a total lockdown of the country or the cities with the most number of cases of the novel coronavirus, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said that the request for a lockdown is not a decision to be taken lightly.
According to him, President Nana Akufo-Addo had instructed the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to conduct an economic impact assessment of potential lockdown measures on the country.
He also said the President was looking at all conditions before deciding on a lockdown or not.
The Ghana Police Service is already anticipating a lockdown of some major cities in Ghana due to the increasing spate of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Service has put in place a deployment strategy for a lockdown if it is announced by government.
A letter issued by the Director-General in charge of Operations, DCOP Kwaku Boadu-Pepra, and sent to all regional commanders gave details about the deployment.
It said the lockdown will be partial to full in some parts of the country, particularly Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Obuasi.
The enforcement of the lockdown strategy will be undertaken in a joint internal security operation with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), DCOP Boadu-Pepra stated.
“In line with the deployment strategy of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), the Service will foremost lay emphasis on enforcing the lockdown directives to the letter.
“Furthermore, the GPS will continue to strengthen its role in strictly enforcing mandatory and self-quarantine guidelines in coordination with the GHS as required.â€
Among the tasks and responsibilities will be a 24/7 roadblocks and checkpoints to ensure compliance.
The police shall arrest and detain all offenders, the letter said.
All directorates within the Service have been alerted as personnel will join this operation.
The Director of Police Hospital, for instance, is to release 100 medical corps including doctors and paramedics for the exercise in affected areas.
The entire operation will be monitored by the National Joint Operations Centre (JOC), which will be under the direction of Chief Superintendent Raymond Adofiem.
ACP Kwesi Ofori will be in charge of coordination and deployment in Accra.
Economist Professor, Godfred Bopkin has asked the government of Ghana to engage in broad discussions before considering a lockdown of any part of the country in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.
He said although the country is faced with a serious situation as other parts of the world regarding the COVID-19, the government must act tactfully in its decisions.
Ghana has so far recorded 136 cases of coronavirus with three deaths.
Groups including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) have asked the government to lock down the country to mitigate spread.
Prof Bokpin told journalists in Accra: “Unusual times call for unusual measures. For that reason, the discussion of our debts, though relevant, we have to understand that the country is facing critical challenges that require us to think beyond the normal situation of debt-to-GDP ratio.â€
On the lockdown issue, he said: “A lot of conversation must go on to fill the gaps before such conversations start.â€
Economist, Professor Godfred Bopkin, has asked the government of Ghana to engage in broad discussions before considering a lockdown of any part of the country in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.
He said although the country is faced with a serious situation as other parts of the world regarding the COVID-19, the government must act tactfully in its decisions.
Ghana has so far recorded 136 cases of coronavirus with three deaths.
Groups including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) have asked the government to lock down the country to mitigate spread.
Prof Bokpin told journalists in Accra: “Unusual times call for unusual measures. For that reason, the discussion of our debts, though relevant, we have to understand that the country is facing critical challenges that require us to think beyond the normal situation of debt-to-GDP ratio.â€
On the lockdown issue, he said: “A lot of conversation must go on to fill the gaps before such conversations start.â€
Water for Rural Africa (WRA) has followed closely with grave apprehension the continuous increase of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country and the approach being adopted by the national response team to combat a pandemic that has brought the world economies to their knees.
There is no denying the fact that the future of this great nation is at risk judging from what the coronavirus has done to a country like Italy which has better resources and a more robust healthcare system. Italy probably undermined the threat posed by this pandemic. The devastating effect on Italy as a result of an initial lukewarm attitude of Leaders in Italy should serve as a lesson for the government of the day. Ghana will not be in position to handle the pandemic if we allow the situation to get out hand.
The worrying trend of horizontal spread otherwise known as community spread is on the ascendency and this is the point where complexities arise and contact tracing loses its potency.
WRA wishes to recommend to the government of the day, to Lockdown major cities in the country in order to save the nation from total collapse. This will certainly not be a popular decision for the leadership and a section of the populace, but we have reached that point where a draconian approach backed by proven results in other countries hit by the pandemic remains the last resort and the earlier, the better. India did not record as much as we currently have, before issuing a directive for a lockdown.
However, WRA recommends a minimum of 48 hour grace period for citizens, to prepare adequately for survival during the period. It is also crucial for government to set aside funds for relief items and programmed delivery channels devoid of politics and discrimination in order to protect the less privileged in the catchment areas.
Let us ensure water reaches rural communities that have no access to clean water.
With coronavirus cases in Nigeria fast-rising, concerned parties have called on the federal government to impose a lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
Nigeria have recorded a total of 46 cases with one death.
However, amidst the call for the lock down, there are other people that have expressed concerns on behalf of citizens that depend on going out to work daily in order to be able to provide for their family members.
One of such persons is Former Big Brother Africa Star Tacha. She tweeted:
Tacha is currently in the United Kingdom which is on partial lockdown.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his administration is currently discussing and giving consideration to the issue of a nationwide lockdown as proposed by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) in a recent letter to him.
President Akufo-Addo gave the hint when he addressed a five-member top hierarchy delegation of the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) at the Jubilee House.
The TUC members present were the Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah; Deputy Secretary-General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah; Chairman of the TUC, Richard Yeboah; Vice-Chairman of the TUC, Alex Nyarko-Opoku; and the Head of Research and Chief Economist of the TUC, Dr Kwabena Nyarko-Otoo.
“People are talking now in Ghana about a lockdown. Majority of the people who will be affected by decisions of that nature are the working people of our country, the ordinary people of Ghana, they are the ones that will be most affected and it is important for us when we are taking these decisions to take into account their circumstances and conditions to lockdown Accra”, President Akufo-Addo said.
“What are the consequences when we lockdown the country? A responsible government is required to look at all the implications before decisions are made and that is the exercise on which we are currently engaged and I am hoping that much sooner than later, we will come to an agreement within government as to what these measures are and then the Ghanaian people will be informed”, President Akufo-Addo added.
Secretary-General of the TUC
Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr.Yaw Baah, in a brief remark, noted that their letter to the President asking for a total lockdown of the country was to express support for all that government has done so far and not to undermine same.
He added that calls from their members about what the government intends to do about the working population necessitated the communication sent to the Presidency. He pledged the TUC’s support for the government throughout the difficult season of fighting to contain and stop the coronavirus, Covid-19, in Ghana.
Attendees of the Meeting
As part of the meeting with the TUC Executive, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Minister of Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, and National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah and the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations Ignatius Baffour-Awuah were in attendance.
