Government has rejected claims by the opposition NDC that it is giving Ghanaians “false hope” when it says the country’s coronavirus situation is under control

Deputy Information Minister Pius Hadzide at a press conference in Accra Friday said the claims are false and without basis.

At a press conference on Thursday, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu accused government of not being forthright on the coronavirus figures in Ghana.

“Government should desist from selling false hope of a situation under control and using its management of information as a cover for this farce.

“That insults the intelligence of Ghanaians. We are at 3,000 and you say that we should wait, all is well. All was not well when we were at 200 and 300 [cases]. How can it be well at 3000 [cases] and counting,” he queried.

The Minority Leader also claimed that science had been relegated to the background by the President who is instead, relying on signs and wonders.

Mr Hadzide denies this.

He said “The claim from the NDC that science has been relegated to the background and that president Akufo-Addo seems more interested in his reelection that the safety of Ghanaians is false and without basis

”The NDC cannot be allowed to approbate and reprobate on this matter,” he added.

From the onset, Mr Hadzide noted, government has put in place measures to deal with the pandemic, including the constitution of a task force made up of technical persons “including epidemiologists, virologists, medical doctors, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, security heads and so on.”

"It is this task force of persons of reputable background knowledge and expertise that advise the president on the policy options in fighting Covid-19, and not politicians masquerading as medical doctors in partisan Covid-19 teams,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo, the Deputy Minister said, has led “from the front and continues to address the nation honestly and regularly.”