COVID-19: Mahama suggests extension of lockdown

Former President John Mahama is suggesting that the government extends the partial lockdown it has imposed on some parts of the country as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Ghana.

John Mahama, who is also the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in a tweet said the extension has become necessary because of advice from health experts and the upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases of the disease in Ghana makes it necessary to extend the restrictions on movement in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area including Tema and Kasoa as well as the Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

Many Ghanaians are anxious as they await a televised address from President Nana Akufo-Addo with updates on Ghana’s fight against COVID-19 and also an announcement on whether or not the existing restriction of movement will be extended.

Ahead of that update, John Mahama believes it will only be appropriate that President Akufo-Addo announces an extension on the restrictions.

“Recent developments have made it clear, the extent of the spread of the virus. The last report put the number of confirmed cases at 834. Many health experts continue to suggest the necessity and appropriateness of an extension of the restrictions on movement.”

John Mahama’s position has been shared by a health Economist, Dr. Gordon Abeka-Nkrumah who cautioned the government against lifting the restrictions on movement.

Dr. Gordon Abeka-Nkrumah on The Big Issue said Ghana is at its critical stage in the fight against the novel coronavirus and any move to remove the current restriction of movements will affect the progress made so far.

“Lockdowns have economic gradients. So the best we can do is to make sure that, we get people to stay home in the next week or two. We make sure we ramp up tests and isolate people and then we can encourage the wearing of masks so that we can then come out. Because if we don’t do that and we joke, what will happen is that, we may go back again and lockdown entirely in a way that we probably can not handled. We need to get a bit more firm and get this to work,” he said.

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