President Nana Akufo-Addo
Even before the President spoke to his fellow Ghanaians yesterday, speculations were rife about a possible lockdown.
Whatever decision the President takes towards reversing the surge of COVID-19 is in order although a total lockdown as the speculations had cannot be one of the options. No measure will be too much towards arresting the unacceptable situation staring us in the face as a nation.
Countries which eventually brought the situation under control took drastic measures.
At the time of composing this edition’s commentary, we could feel the despondency of the President and indeed most Ghanaians who have followed the rising COVID-19 cases in the country in the past few weeks. The despondency has been informed by the below average adherence to the hygiene protocols as spelt out by the authorities.
Whatever measures the President spells out in response to the rising trend, they are intended to reverse the avoidable situation and should not be misconstrued.
Government has a lot to work upon in the area of policy implementation for the general progress of the citizenry and would rather normalcy is restored. When however, a virus which requires by and large adherence to tested and workable protocols to stop it, is allowed by indifference on the part of the citizens to blossom rather ominously, there is the need to crack the whip.
As Captain of the Ship of State, it behooves the President to do all he can to restore normalcy to the health of the nation without delay.
So much money has gone into the management of the pandemic by the state. Many do not even know that the state bears the cost of medications for persons in the special COVID-19 centres across the country.
An efficient management of the pandemic can go a long way in saving our medical delivery system from collapse. Our medical delivery personnel are working extra hard under the circumstances and so we too as Ghanaians must reciprocate by simply adhering to the hygiene protocols.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) in their demand of the President to take drastic actions so that the pandemic can be controlled.
With many Ghanaians still nowhere near adhering to the social distancing protocols among others, only force can ensure that they do so.
After warning Ghanaians in the 22nd update on the measures taken to control COVID-19, about possible drastic measures, so much water has passed under the bridge since then.
Even the Northern and Volta regions; parts of the country relatively spared by the pandemic in the early days are beginning to register disturbing statistics. We cannot allow recalcitrant citizens, some of them still in denial about the pandemic, to give impetus to the crazy and wayward virus.
Individual Ghanaians should join the security agents to compel people to use the nose masks in public.
The measures which the President announced yesterday are in our best interest and should be adhered to by all Ghanaians for the good of all.
Even under such dire times, some security agents connive with foreigners to breach our shut frontiers. While some arrests have been made in this direction, some have nonetheless managed to come in a trend which continues and worryingly so.