A Research Scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Department of Medical Diagnostic, disagrees with Ghana Medical Association’s (GMA) call for a national lockdown amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Michael Owusu suggests that government should rather identify the epicenters in the country and implement the lockdown instead of nationwide lockdown.
He said on Joy FM’s NewsNite programme on Wednesday that “We [Ghana] have collected a lot of data from the contact tracing, we have information about the people who have the disease and where they have been.
“So with this information, we can mark these places out, liaise with the telecommunication companies to get the nearest coordinate of all these people. Then we can target size within Accra or size within Kumasi you can implement the policy,” he recommended.
This comes after the GMA called on President Akufo-Addo to place the country on lockdown with immediate effect.
The GMA in a letter explained that declaring lockdown will "save our nation from the devastating effects of this pandemic.”
But Dr Owusu argues that a nationwide lockdown will adversely affect livelihoods of Ghanaians particularly, the people in the informal sector.
The Research Scientist further indicated that a hastened lockdown cannot predict how long the lockdown will last and how successful it will be.
“Perhaps the time you open up, that will be the time people will start exhibiting the symptoms of the virus.
“However, based on data gathered, you can be able to target specific places and lock these places, for perhaps 21-days [and] do mass testing to ensure they are negative and then move on to another place.”
Latest Stories
-
Africa Development Council urges ECOWAS action amid Togo’s constitutional crisis
12 mins -
Situate power sector challenges within the context of the 4th Republic – Jantuah
41 mins -
Empowering Youth through IT Education: IT For Youth Ghana College leads the way
47 mins -
Trump criminal case: Full 12-person jury seated in Manhattan
1 hour -
Israel Gaza: US again warns against Rafah offensive
1 hour -
Man arrested in Poland over alleged Russia plot to kill Zelensky
1 hour -
Over 100 arrested as US college Gaza protest cleared
1 hour -
Justmoh Construction begins work on dualization of Takoradi-Agona Nkwanta road
1 hour -
MGL visits Dumor family following passing of Mawuena Trebarh
2 hours -
In Pursuit of Peace and Unity: Interfaith Leaders Promote Dialogue – Chief Doli-Wura to Africa Union
2 hours -
TEWU raises concern over quality of food served in SHS
3 hours -
Ghanaian students gear up for Robotics World Championship
3 hours -
Political interference makes public sector managers appear incompetent – Dr Manteaw
3 hours -
Police arrest truck driver alleged to have caused train crash
3 hours -
CAF Confederation Cup: Dreams FC depart to Cairo ahead of semis first leg against Zamalek
4 hours