Ghanaians are being invited to discuss whether to lift the Coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions or not.
The conversation, which is centred on what has been described as the ‘new normal’, is to give the government ideas on how to balance the preventive measures and living the normal life.
The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, at a press briefing in Accra Thursday, announced that since countries have now realised that a lock down at home could not be in perpetuity, there was the need to discuss the issue. He took time to explain what he termed as ‘living with the virus’, which he wants Ghanaians to discuss.
According to him, that was the context in which the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, and recently President Akufo-Addo, spoke on in a bid to starting a discussion on what it should take to deal with the virus, and at the same time, continue with the normal life.
He said the government had begun engaging various stakeholders to discuss how best to go about the subject, and that it was important the conversation was brought out for the public to share their thoughts.
“This is a context within which we are speaking, and within which we want to invite the nation to a conversation. One fact is that Covid-19, as we’ve been told already, is now a global pandemic. And the virus what it means is present in several countries all over the world.
“The other fact is that today, as we speak, the world does not have a vaccine, or a validated cure for it. And even to do to that, we do not know exactly when a vaccine or a cure will be discovered. We continue to keep our fingers crossed, as scientists all over the world, including here in Ghana, who are working will come to a good answer soon,” he said.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who is the Member of Parliament for Ofoase/Ayerebi Constituency, argued that with the fact that the Covid-19 virus is in the ecosystem around the world, there is no immediate sign of a cure, but life must go on.
“There’s no vaccine. The other fact is that the world is coming to a realisation that what appeared to be one of the best preventive methods, which was everybody stay at home; be locked down at home cannot go on in perpetuity. And so, at some point, as you’ve seen all over the world, there will need to be an easing of some of the restrictions, even while the virus remains in the global ecosystem.
“So, the expression which we are inviting the nation to a conversation around is living as normally as we can, while the virus remains in the global ecosystem,” he stressed.
Some countries, including China, Italy, Spain, have all moved to gradually lift their restrictions, even on the face of no vaccine or cure, as the restrictions adversely affect economies, the move which explains living with the virus.
Meanwhile, Ghana has recorded 173 new cases of the COVID-19, increasing the tally to 6,269. There are, however, 125 new recoveries, which brings the total to 1,898.
The fatalities remain at 31 from the last update on Tuesday, May 19. The Ghana Health Service (GHS), which gave the update on its Covid-19 information designated portal, however, said eight patients were in critical condition, while active cases are 4,340.
The post COVID-19 is not going soon – Kojo Oppong Nkrumah appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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