Ghana has an estimated population of 31,072,940 people. So far, Coronavirus has claimed 9 lives while over 60,000 people have been tested.
“I have taken the decision to lift the three-week-old restriction on movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts, with effect from 1 am on Monday, 20th April. In effect, tomorrow (today) will see the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi being lifted,” the President said in a televised address.
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has lifted the partial lockdown of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and other districts, SaharaReporters has learnt.
In a televised address on Sunday night, Akufo-Addo maintained that the partial lockdown would take effect from “1:00 am Monday, April 2020.”
All public gatherings, however, remain banned in the West African country.
The President said, “In view of our ability to undertake aggressive contact tracing of infected persons, the enhancement of our capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of our treatment and isolation centres, our better understanding of the dynamism of the virus, the ramping up of our domestic capacity to produce our own personal protective equipment, sanitisers and medicines, the modest successes chalked at containing the spread of the virus in Accra and Kumasi, and the severe impact on the poor and vulnerable, I have taken the decision to lift the three-week-old restriction on movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts, with effect from 1 am on Monday, 20th April."
The announcement has attracted mixed reactions from Ghanaians because the country has recorded over 1024 COVID-19 cases. Ghana has an estimated population of 31,072,940 people. So far, Coronavirus has claimed 9 lives while over 60,000 people have been tested.
Many Nigerians have also reacted to the announcement, expressing concerns that the move could worsen the situation in the country.
A Nigerian, identified as Abdulfatai Muhammed, wrote on Twitter, “I don't think it is a good idea, considering the data you presented before us. I pray God does not allow what Melinda Gates said about Africa to come to pass. But I fear for us in Africa if we rush to call off the stay-at-home order, without bringing down the figure to the barest.”
Another Nigerian, identified as @waju2605, said, “He (President) probably did this because of the numbers of tests done compared to the population size. Sure, he has some ‘post-lockdown’ measures too.”
Amy Duru wrote, “At least they’ve tested 60,000. We (Nigeria) have a long way to go, especially with the unrest and failure to observe the lockdown in Nigeria. So, we can’t even begin to compare Ghana and Nigeria.”
A Nigerian, identified as Babatunde, wrote, “Ecuador situation is ‘loading’ in Ghana with this unnecessary lifting of lockdown. Our (Nigerian) government should just make our border remain closed.”
Another Nigerian, @BoluOA, wrote, “It doesn't sound like a great plan. I hope they do not experience a second wave.”