President Akufo-Addo
There is no over flogging a subject when it borders upon a pandemic knowledge about whose nuances is just being learnt by the worldwide scientific community.
With the noticing of two or so new variants of the virus lately, we definitely are in more unchartered waters, the bottom-line of which is that we adhere to the prescribed protocols.
Yesterday, the President dodged what many had speculated he was going to do by way of another partial lockdown.
Some of us appreciating the economic and social costs of a partial lockdown demurred with those who speculated about the President choosing that option once more after the initial one when the pandemic made landfall in the country.
True to our expectation, the President announced new restrictions as he expects his compatriots to appreciate the significance of strictly adhering to these.
We have in President Akufo-Addo a personality who is sensitive to the realities of life and would rather choose options which can offer the best results.
Considering the unbridled state of indiscipline in the face of the upsurge of COVID-19, he could have with the stroke of a pen ordered another partial lockdown or a heavy-handed response to breaches.
Of course some of us would rather the President cracked the whip beyond what he has done. But that notwithstanding, we would count on the understanding of Ghanaians to as it were appreciate the gravity of the pandemic and to therefore reciprocate the gesture of the President by adhering to the laid down protocols.
We do not need security agents forcing us to protect ourselves from COVID-19. As adults who should be able to differentiate between good and bad, we are expected to join in the duel against the pandemic. The war against the virus is a shared responsibility which requires that all of us gird our loins and stand guard.
It is a war we cannot afford to lose. Win we must in all fronts. The management of faith places, mosques and churches, should ensure total adherence of the protocols. Breaches should not be countenanced under any circumstances.
In the face of protocol breaches in such religious facilities, the managements should be held responsible and where possible sanctioned. Rituals should be curtailed so the two hour limit as directed by the President is met.
Let Ghana be put on a war footing as we battle the pandemic. Our generation has never known this; any knowledge about a pandemic is restricted to our history lessons. The response therefore should be unusual which is what the President expects all of us in our own interest to do so that the war against the pandemic can be expedited.
Weddings, funerals and other social activities are the spreading locations for the pandemic, and so their indefinite suspension as announced by the President cannot be faulted under the circumstances.