President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked Ghanaians to continue to be more disciplined in the adherence to personal hygiene, mask-wearing and social distancing measures that have become part of daily routines in the face of encouraging statistics for the fight against Covid-19.
According to him, Ghana has come a long way to make significant progress in combating the disease with the angst, fear and panic exhibited by many, especially when the first two cases were recorded on the country’s shores, replaced by a growing sense of optimism and renewed hope that the nation is on its way to winning the battle against the pandemic.
In his 17th Covid-19 address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo said, “The improvement in the situation is all thanks to the effectiveness of the measures put in place by his government, the co-operation and support of Ghanaians in general, and, most certainly, by the grace of Almighty God.”
“I know there are many who are wondering why I have not announced a complete return to normalcy in all aspects of national life, because they believe the figures suggest we have turned the tide in the fight against the virus,” he noted.
He stated that although the health authorities appear to be working hard to stem the tide, “there is the need not to throw caution to the wind and destroy the incredible amount of work undertaken by government, health officials, heroic frontline health workers, and members of the security agencies, in bringing us this far.”
President Akufo-Addo asserted that so far, a total of 45,258 persons had recovered from Covid-19 and 297 persons, a great majority of them with underlying illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease and asthma, had sadly died.
KIA Arrivals
The President revealed that 16 out of the 23 airlines that operated in Kotoka International Airport (KIA) prior to its closure had, again, commenced flights to and from Accra and that as of last Saturday, September 19, a total of 10,061 passengers had undergone the PCR test at the airport, with 26 positive cases recorded.
“Let us pause for a moment and imagine what would have happened if these 26 positives had not been detected and had been allowed to mingle with the population,” he wondered.
For him, even though the cost of US$150 per passenger, for the mandatory airport Covid-19 test, has been criticised in certain quarters, the value of the test and its speed, accuracy and savings for passengers, who no longer have to bear the cost of the 14-day mandatory quarantine in hotels, has been clearly established.
By Ernest Kofi Adu