The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said the decision by President Nana Akufo-Addo to lift the restriction on movement imposed in Greater Accra, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi.

According to the umbrella body for workers’ unions in Ghana, the decision to lift the lockdown is well-informed and an appropriate move to prevent an economic recession and loss of jobs.

General Secretary of the TUC, Dr Anthony Yaw Baah made these comments when he addressed President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House at his invitation to know at first-hand what he can do as President to support the congress and its members.

"We have followed the developments in the country since the first two confirmed cases were announced and the measures you and your government have taken so far to deal with this major health crisis.

"The restrictions on movements have yielded some positive results and we are all witnesses to this. Yesterday, you eased some of these restrictions and emphasized that other restrictions must be complied with strictly. We think it is the right thing to do given the dire economic consequences of prolonged restrictions," the TUC General Secretary said.

President Akufo-Addo announced the lifting of the restrictions imposed on the movement of persons in Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi and surrounding towns as part of efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the President, the three-week lockdown has achieved its objectives, among which was the need to scale up tracing and testing people who may have come into contact with those who had already tested positive.

Addressing the nation in his seventh televised broadcast since the first confirmed cases of the disease in the middle of March, the President said the decision to suspend the lockdown will take effect from Monday, April 20, 2020.

From more than 60,000 samples tested so far, the president said, “we’ve been able to understand better the dynamism of the virus, mapped out its goegraphic footprint and established current and potential hotspots.”

“We’ve also been able to isolate and educate asymptomatic carriers and thereby help minimize the spread of the virus,” he continued.

Speaking at the Jubilee House on Monday, Dr Baah also revealed that the TUC has started a process to assess the impact of the pandemic on the economy and will make the findings public in due course.

"We are in the process of accessing the impact of the health crisis on employment in Ghana, what we are seeing is mind-boggling. Businesses are collapsing in almost all the sectors of the economy, many people have already lost their jobs, many more would have lost their jobs without the easing of some of these restrictions" Dr Baah said.