Full text: 23rd Akufo-Addo update on measures taken against Covid-19

Ghanaians, good evening.

I entered your home on the 17th^e January, to report on our COVID-19 situation – a situation which, according to the data available at the time, was not good.

To this end, I appealed to you, my Ghanaian compatriots, to help contain the spread of the virus by respecting the protocols put in place by the government.

The hope was that we would start to see an improvement in our caseload, as a result. Two weeks after this address, the situation is even worse.

Friday 29^e In January, an additional sixty-four (64) people sadly died in the past two weeks, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to four hundred and sixteen (416). Our hospitalization rates are increasing, with the number of critically ill and critically ill people now standing at one hundred and seventy-two (172).

Our hospitals are full and we have had to reactivate our isolation centers. Our average daily infection rates are now seven hundred (700), down from two hundred (200) two weeks ago.

The total number of active cases has more than doubled from just over nineteen hundred (1900) two weeks ago to five thousand three hundred and fifty-eight (5,358) today.

When I delivered Update 22, thirteen (13) of the sixteen (16) regions had registered active cases; today, the sixteen (16) regions have active cases.

Indeed, the regions of Greater Accra, Center, West, Ashanti, East, Upper East, Upper West, Volta and North are the hardest hit, representing ninety-four percent (94%) of the total number of active cases.

Indeed, dear Ghanaians, we have a lot of work to do to fight the disease. As recent studies show that the UK and other new variants are being passed on among the population, we all need to understand that our current situation could become very dire if efforts are not made, both to from the government and by you the citizens to help contain the virus.

Analysis continues to tell us that the spread of the virus mainly occurs in confined and poorly ventilated indoor spaces, where people talk, sing or shout without their masks.

Imposing restrictions on our daily activities has helped reduce the prevalence of the pandemic in the country, and the government has had no choice but to reintroduce some of those restrictions in order to help save the day.

I know these measures, in the recent past, were unpleasant, but over a period of time they resulted in a favorable situation for our country. We have to come back to it.

Thus, fellow Ghanaians, until further notice, funerals, weddings, concerts, theatrical performances and parties are prohibited. Private burials, with no more than twenty-five (25) people, can take place, with the application of social distancing, hygiene and mask-wearing protocols.

Beaches, nightclubs, cinemas and pubs continue to be closed. Our land and sea borders remain closed.

All workplaces, public and private, should use a shift system for workers, in addition to using virtual platforms for business or work. Conferences and workshops can take place with all appropriate protocols. However, I encourage the use of virtual platforms for such engagements.

Restaurants should offer take-out services and should avoid seated services where possible. The National Sports Authority and the Ghana Football Federation should ensure compliance with the twenty-five percent (25%) capacity rule in our stadiums, with spectators respecting the social distancing rule and wearing masks.

To the revered leaders of our religious organizations, that is to say our churches and mosques, I beg you to enforce, to the letter, the protocols relating to attendance, that is to say the duration of two hours , the social distance of one meter, the wearing of masks, the use of disinfectants and the presence of Veronica buckets, liquid soap and rolls of tissue paper.

I note that since the reopening of our schools two weeks ago, we have only witnessed a few case reports among students. I call on school authorities and teachers to apply the guidelines provided by the Ghana Education Service, and I urge the Ghana Health Service to continue their monitoring in schools, so that we can contain any reported cases.

As we step up public awareness and enforcement of protocols on public gatherings, let me also say that regulatory agencies will undertake random checks to ensure compliance with these rules and that security services will be responsible for ensuring apply them.

You don’t have to be stopped by the police before wearing your mask, your workplace should not be closed for non-compliance with protocols, if there is no urgent reason for you to be in outside, please stay home.

Each of us can help contain the spread if we continue to practice social distancing measures, washing our hands with soap under running water, avoiding shaking hands, and wearing our masks every time we go. let’s leave our homes. These measures must be respected by all.

I urge you, my fellow Ghanaians, to continue to take care of your health, improve your physical condition and eat our local foods which boost your immunity. If at any time you are unwell or have the most common symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, please go to the nearest health facility and do a test.

COVID-19 testing is free for all Ghanaians at public health facilities. If a Ghanaian citizen returns a positive result, the cost of care in isolation and treatment centers will be borne by the government.

At 58^e ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Authority Summit, which was held virtually, it was agreed that the cost of COVID testing for ECOWAS nationals at destination would be set at fifty US dollars. Emirates ($ 50) at Kotoka International Airport.

The cost of the test for non-ECOWAS nationals is still one hundred and fifty ($ 150) dollars. ECOWAS nationals and travelers who test positive will bear the cost of compulsory isolation and treatment. However, Ghanaian nationals who test positive upon arrival in the country will have their isolation and treatment costs borne by the state.

Dear Ghanaian colleagues, in update # 21, I indicated that Ghana is preparing to procure its first shipment of COVID vaccines in the first half of this year. Since then, a lot of work has been done to achieve this. Our goal is to vaccinate the entire population, with an initial goal of twenty million people.

Through bilateral and multilateral means, we hope that by the end of June a total of seventeen million six hundred thousand (17.6 million) doses of vaccine will have been purchased for the people of Ghana. The first vaccine will be in the country in March.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) will use its established processes for granting emergency use authorization for each vaccine in Ghana. As President of the Republic, I assure you that only vaccines that have been evaluated and declared safe in Ghana will be administered.

The government will continue to monitor our situation regarding COVID-19 and will remain committed to ensuring that we are able to resume our normal daily activities. I remain hopeful that if each of us fully adhere to safety protocols and continue to trust the Almighty, we will emerge strongly from this pandemic.

My faith in God tells me that this too will pass! Because the battle is the lords !!

May God bless us all and our homeland, Ghana, and make it great and strong.

Thank you for your attention.