Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
There is a considerable possibility of another lockdown hitting Ghana, together with tougher restrictions, to help slow down the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, if the country’s active cases continue to rise.
Speaking at a press briefing yesterday, the Minister of Information-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the action may be taken to sharpen the country’s response to the spread of the virus, considering the current trend of the current rise.
“There is a possibility of a lockdown and other restrictions, and if this trend continues, that is where we are heading. I have to be very clear on that: one, that more restrictions could be introduced if this trend continues.
“We are being reminded that we all need to do the things we were doing in the beginning to ensure that this third rise, we can quickly deal with because the dynamics of this third rise appear to be different from the first two that we had, including the number of people who are falling sick, severe and critical,” he said.
“So, especially if these numbers go up this way then just like the President himself articulated, then we are heading for more restrictions, even if it means reviewing some Legal Instruments. Yes that is where we will be heading,” he added.
Revised safety protocol
Taking his turn to address the media, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, announced that there are plans to revise and strengthen safety protocols and measures to contain the spread of the new variant of the novel coronavirus surge in the country.
They include expansion or increase in testing, quality assurance framework, delisting of non- conforming testing labs, collaboration with the media, among other mediums.
As at January 22, the country had detected 62,135 cases, and of the number, some 745,095 tests were conducted. Currently, Ghana’s active cases is over 3,600.
The majority of the active cases are from Greater Accra Region, followed by the Ashanti and Western regions.
Dr Kuma Aboagye said that efforts were being made to provide logistics, including barcodes, sample bottles, vehicles and contractual arrangement with commercial transport systems for effective contact tracing and home management.
He added that there are efforts to send surveillance officers to laboratories to support data entry and linkage, while engaging target groups such as GPRTU, market queens, among others, on the need to adhere to safety protocols, especially face masks wearing.
According to him, his outfit is reintroducing antigen testing to ascertain the degree of community spread in hotspots.
The antigen test is to be undertaken for suspected outbreaks in schools and workplace. They will also be used in hospitals when health workers are exposed. Antigen testing will also be located in selected health facilities and public health labs, which will now offer 24-hour service.
He urged people testing, whether privately or through health facilities, to self-quarantine before the receipt of their results.
COVID-19 cases in schools
The GHS Director-General revealed that two cases had been reported in two Senior High Schools in the Upper West Region and one in a school at Daboase in the Western Region.
The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in Accra has also temporarily locked its doors to students as two members of its staff have tested positive for the virus.
Dr Kuma Aboagye called for decongestion at workplaces while encouraging virtual meetings and working from home.
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Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Information Minister-designate
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