Coronavirus: Communities with spike in cases will be put under curfew – President

President Nana Akufo-Addo has warned government will not hesitate to cordon off or impose curfew on any community that may record what he termed unexpected outburst of new coronavirus infections in the country.

The lifting the three-week old partial lockdown imposed on parts of the country, he said, does not mean Ghana is out of the woods yet, indicating that the government will not let its guard down in the fight against the deadly virus.

Although the number of infections has risen to over a thousand, the President said it now has a grip on the rapid spread of the virus, hence the withdrawal of the lockdown which saw movement restricted in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi.

With the current aggressive tracing and testing approach, the President admitted that new cases or infections will definitely be recorded.

Nana Akufo-Addo said adequate and appropriate measures have been put in place by government to isolate and treat such persons as and when they test positive for the virus which has killed nine people in Ghana.

However, the President said “should there be an unexpected outburst in infections within the community, I’ve put the health workers and the security services, including the Police Service and the Armed Forces on standby, to coordinate a rapid response of human and logistical resources if necessary, to cordon, impose a curfew, trace, test and treat infected persons in the affected community”.

In order to avoid such situation, Nana Akufo-Addo has advised the people of Ghana to ensure they stay at home and only move out when it is necessary.

“Stay at home unless it is absolutely essential,” he said in his televised address Sunday night to brief Ghanaians on the country’s efforts to combat the coronavirus which currently has no cure.

Everyone should wear a face mask

Meanwhile, the President is also encouraging the wearing of nose masks by all as part of precautionary measures to help them avoid contracting the virus.

“If you own a business, or are providing a service, i.e. a barber, a hairdresser, a tailor, a taxi driver, a trotro driver and his ‘mate’, a shop keeper, a food seller, please do well to use a mask,” he advised.

The Ministry of Health, he said, will in the coming days issue guidelines on face masks for public use.

Nana Akuof-Addo is also entreating religious, traditional, opion and community leaders to partner with government in engaging, mobilizing and enforcing social distancing and personal hygiene in their communities.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com