Covid-19: Restrict religious services, funerals and other social gatherings – GMA tells government

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) calls on the government to impose restrictions on social gatherings as the surge in active Covid-19 cases persists.

In a press release cited by JoyNews, On Monday, GMA Chairman Dr Frank Ankobea insisted that with the current trend of an average of 600 people testing positive for the virus per day, a review of the imposition of the restriction is inevitable.

Failure to comply with Covid-19 preventive measures, he said, has the potential to further exacerbate the spread of the disease, therefore the government should impose stricter measures in the fight against the pandemic.

“The government should urgently restrict social activities such as parties, religious services, funerals, clubs and other social gatherings of this nature. Markets should be regulated and as much as possible restricted. “

Speaking on the upsurge in Covid-19 cases, Mr Ankobea also pleaded with the government to restrict the number of people attending the state funeral of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.

He said citizens should be encouraged to follow the debates on television and other social media platforms.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings will be refitted on Monday, January 25 and Tuesday, January 26 at the Accra International Conference Center for various interest groups and members of the public to have the opportunity to pay their final respects.

His comment comes after the Ghana Health Service (GHS) confirmed that the Covid-19 virus has now spread to all 16 regions of the country, with Greater Accra, Ashanti and the western regions being the biggest hot spots.

Currently, an additional 679 people have been infected with the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 60,794. As it stands, the country has 3,286 active cases with 367 deaths.

The president of the GMA insisted on the gravity of the pandemic which, according to him, “has the potential to further weaken our already fragile health systems”.

To avoid restrictions on social gatherings, Mr Frank Ankobea called on everyone to respect and adhere to the Covid-19 safety protocols which have been somewhat abandoned by many in recent weeks.

“Once again, everyone should take their personal safety into their own hands by adhering to all covid-19 safety protocols,” he said.