President Nana Akufo-Addo, has expressed concern about the sudden rise in active cases of COVID-19 in Ghana, and admonished Ghanaians to adhere strictly to the preventive protocols.
Ghana’s active cases of the novel coronavirus disease have climbed to 1,156 from 947 in less than a week, according to the latest update on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) website.
The increase follows a report of 198 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases nationally to 49,202. The death toll still stands at 320.
The total number of recoveries and discharges stands at 47,726. Two people are currently on ventilators. Eleven cases have been classified as severe and four remain critical.
“Our observation, however, is that a reduction in compliance with the preventive protocols accounts for the increase in infections. Fellow Ghanaians, it appears that we are letting our guard down,” President Akufo-Addo said in a televised address on Sunday (8 November 2020).
Enhancing the 3Ts
He added: “Now more than ever, we have to adhere to mask-wearing, handwashing, the use of sanitisers, and social distancing protocols that have become a part of our daily routines, and which have ensured that we do not impose, all over again, the restrictions we are seeing in other parts of the world.
“In order to help arrest this new threat of rising infections, the government is going to reaffirm the steps that have served us well so far. We are enhancing the measures of tracing, testing and treatment, ie, the 3Ts.
“In addition to this, we will continue to limit the importation of the virus, embark on the strategic, controlled easing of public gatherings, enhance public education and information, and continue to provide relief and support to individuals, families and businesses.
“To this end, I have instructed the release of additional logistics, including vehicles, to the Ghana Health Service in order to help beef up contact tracing, and the supervision and monitoring of asymptomatic cases being managed from home.
“We are also employing the use of technology to augment our contact tracing efforts, as well as the supervision and monitoring of home care cases.”
Political activities
The president has also appealed to politicians to ensure that all supporters wear face masks at rally grounds as campaigning intensifies towards 7 December.
“With a month to the conduct of the 7 December presidential and parliamentary elections, there would, obviously, be an intensification of political party activities in all parts of the country, with its accompanying human contact. Nevertheless, I encourage political party leaders and supporters, at the very at least, to wear the mask at all times at these gatherings.
“This task is not only for the leaders of our political parties. All of us, in the executive, legislature, judiciary, public sector, security agencies, private sector, civil society, professional and trade associations, religious bodies, traditional authorities and ordinary citizens, must do what we can, in this period, to help minimise disease transmission.
“Furthermore, I urge management of organisations operating in confined, indoor spaces, such as workplaces and supermarkets, to ensure the continued adherence to all COVID-19 protocols at all times,” Akufo-Addo said in his 19th update to the nation.
Watch the full address below:
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