Relapse and resurgence; who is to blame?

Notice of Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Journalist: Mathias Mawuli Ametefe

2020-12-29

But for the political season and the preference of political power over human lives, one could say with certainty that Ghanaians were so successful in observing the covid-19 protocols that explained the control of the disease.

With the daily infection rate resurgent due to a blatant disregard for preventive measures, whose fault is it? The Ghana Health Service (GHS), the politician, the media or the ordinary Ghanaian citizen?

As of August 28, 2020, according to the speech of the President of the Republic to the nation on Covid-19, the active cases in the country had declined within two weeks from 1847 to 1059. It was refreshing to note that the number of active cases then halved to 507 in September and 398 in October 2020.

Fast forward, after a series of political rallies which saw gigantic crowds of political activists led by senior government officials who once advocated that all citizens adhere to covid-19 protocols and called for sanctions for those who flout these protocols, but for the sake of political power, blatantly ignoring the most preached social distancing and wearing of nasal masks, there was no doubt there would be a wave of active cases before and after the election.

In fact, on November 8, barely a month after the start of the legislative elections, the president in his address to the nation on covid-19, indicated that “we have observed a gradual change in the trajectory of the virus, with a increase in active cases from 398 cases recorded three weeks ago to 1,139 active cases as of 6 November 2020 with a daily infection rate rising from an average of 25 to 130 ”.
The case did not improve after the general election as the government indicated its intention to renew the imposition of restrictions and other regulations for the application of the protocols.

By all indications, Ghanaians, until the poor precedents set by the leaders of the political division in their primaries and campaign, were doing well to comply with covid-19 protocols, a situation that explained the decline. active cases and daily infections.

Unfortunately, almost all malls, supermarkets, drink bars, restaurants, pharmacies, among others, barely adhere to covid-19 protocols, with the majority of them replacing hand washing facilities with hand sanitizers. As for temperature control and the popular “no mask no entry”, it is almost a thing of the past. Churches are not excluded from those who have relaxed adherence to protocols.

The fact that we, as a nation, have relapsed from complying with protocols is there for everyone. Now, if the second wave of the virus in some countries, which is more severe and has resulted in more stringent measures, including total lockdowns, is something to pass while waiting for a vaccine, who is to be blamed for our situation?

Surprisingly, the director general of GHS, the director of health promotion in charge of communication on the risks related to Covid-19, the presidential adviser for health, the Minister of Health, the Covid-19 team of the NDC and other health experts lost their voice during the election campaign. season but quickly found their voice after the election, calling on people to comply with covid-19 protocols. Such hypocrisy, sycophancy and prioritization of political power over human lives deserves to be condemned without certain terms. This will not only demotivate citizens from adhering to safety protocols due to lack of perception of risk, but will also negatively affect uptake of the covid-19 vaccine if it is available due to low perception of the benefits of taking the vaccine. vaccine.

The media, in particular, being the fourth arm of government and the most powerful tool for our development as a nation, has unfortunately failed to hold our leaders accountable for adherence to protocols during election season.

As gatekeepers, the media should not be seen to bow to the interests of political power, but to discharge their duties in the interest of citizens, calling on those in power who are doing the wrong thing. thing until they right their wrongs.

On that note, I call on all Ghanaians not to give up adhering to covid-19 protocols, including regular hand washing, wearing face masks, avoiding crowded areas and practicing social distancing as much as possible since we are not out of the woods.

May God bless our homeland, Ghana, and make our nation great and strong.