That Europe and Asia as well as the South Americas are experiencing another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is enough reason for us in this part of the world to tighten our safety protocols.
Frightening about the pandemic is the nauseous sight of human beings being offloaded in mass graves because of the scale of the pandemic and inability, sometimes, to deal with the situation.
After being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic for almost a year, we believe we need to act steady in continuing to abide by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health(MOH) safety protocols of washing our hands frequently under running water, social distancing, wearing our nose masks and observing the other guidelines.
While we have some good news about the successful production of vaccines, which have proven enough efficacy for mass vaccination in dealing holistically with the scourge, the ongoing reports, particularly about several developed economies, including the US, Brazil, UK, Canada, France, Spain, Norway and Italy, being strongly hit by the second wave should scare us into returning to the vigorous application of the safety protocols.
Spike in Ghana
As the Minister of Information disclosed this week, there has been a spike in the record of cases in Ghana, a situation attributed to the low compliance levels among actors in certain sectors of the economy, with Greater Accra leading. We are further told that the data suggest that a lot of the cases are coming from enclosed environments, which may include churches and markets.
Eased restrictions not excuse
And for most families, the easing of the restrictions provided a huge relief for them to go back and eke some livelihoods and improve their conditions.
By the grace of God, we succeeded. Government also, by those same easing of restrictions, managed to get back with very crucial and important businesses of state, including rolling out processes for the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections and the WAEC examinations calendar.
An image to protect
With Ghana’s successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic, through modest compliance at all levels and our testing, tracing and treatment, being hailed by the international community and the WHO, it is imperative on us to maintain that image in successfully managing the second wave that again threatens us.
Thankfully, the government has rallied personnel, logistics and resources to fumigate markets and other public places as part of the sustained fight against the pandemic.
While the government leads in fighting that noble cause, we believe it is our collective duty as citizens to return to the compliance levels that brought us that recognition and saved multitudes of our fellow Ghanaians from destruction and death.
We can do it
To prove to ourselves and the international community that our capacity and ability to manage the first wave was no fluke or luck, we are calling on all Ghanaians, including civil society, traditional, religious and other opinion leaders, to be part of this sustained effort at controlling the pandemic and sustaining economic growth, while the government leads in improving lives and livelihoods.
Ghana has a history of defying the odds and coming out triumphant. We have done it before; and we believe we can do it now.
Since merely wishing away the pandemic would not save us, we believe all we need is the same commitment that ignited our initial success.
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