Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the Public Health Act, Act 851 empowers the Health Minister to quarantine persons who tested positive for COVID-19 and restrict their liberties for treatment.
Additionally, the President of the Republic had gazetted and accented to the Executive Instruments 64 and 65, which empowered the President to impose restriction of movements on Accra and Greater Kumasi, the epicentres of COVID-19.
Speaking at a media briefing in Accra on Friday, to update the public on COVID-19, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said Parliament had also enacted the Imposition of Restriction Act, 2020, (Act 1012), to empower state actors to impose restriction of movements on citizens in emergency situations in certain geographical locations.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Lydia Donkor, Head of Legal and Prosecutions of the Accra Regional Police Command, explaining the sanctions applicable to offenders of the restriction of movements indicated that, anyone who commits an offence is liable to a summary conviction to a fine of not less than 1,000 penalty units and not more than 5,000 penalty units or to both.
A penalty unit is GHC12.00 therefore if anyone is found guilty, one is likely to pay a fine ranging from GHC12,000 to GHC60, 000 or to a term of imprisonment of four to 10 years, or to both.
Ghana’s case count of COVID-19 increased to 204, as at April 3, 2020, with five deaths.