Observe all Covid-19 protocols even during Christmas – Akufo-Addo

With days to Christmas, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to remain cautious and to observe all set coronavirus safety protocols to stem the spread of the disease.

Ghana has not had a major surge in Covid-19 cases since mid September when cases topped between a 100 and 130 daily.

The country’s total active cases have reduced marginally from 1,139 in November 2020 to 946 as at December 18, 2020 due to the rigorous tracing and testing, as well as treatment regime adopted by government.

In a televised national address on Sunday, the President noted that though hospitalisation rates had dipped, with isolation centres nearly empty, available data indicated that Ghana was experiencing clusters of cases linked, largely, to confined indoor spaces with poor ventilation, workplaces, offices, factories, schools, parties, and arriving passengers at our airport.

He  appealed to Ghanains to observe all safety measures during the yuletide, avoid large social and religious gatherings, most importantly family reunions and parties, in order not to erode the gains made in the fight against the pandemic.

“The dynamics of the virus has taught us that, if you must host or attend such events, they are best held safely outdoors or in very well-ventilated halls, rather than in closed, air-conditioned spaces.

“Even when organised outdoors, there must be adequate spacing for the maintenance of social distancing. Organisers of such events, public or private, should ensure the presence of ‘Veronica’ buckets, soap and sanitisers, and must insist that patrons use them as frequently as possible.

“I make this plea to all of you to ensure compliance with the enhanced hygiene and mask-wearing protocols that have become part of our daily routines. This will help us in the fight against the virus”, he urged.

“I urge all of us to err on the side of caution, and observe the Covid-19 safety protocols no matter where we find ourselves,” the President added.

On the recent approval of Covid-19 vaccines by the United States and the United Kingdom, President Akufo-Addo said the move offered “considerable optimism and hope for the world in our battle to defeat the pandemic.”

He gave his word that “Ghana is not going to be left behind in having access to the vaccines”, assuring that government had put together a team of experts to see to safety, procurement and deployment of the Covid-19 vaccines.

Ghana has since the March recorded some 53,954 cases, with 52,675 recoveries and 333 deaths.