President Nana Akufo-Addo has banned funerals, weddings, concerts, theatrical performances and parties until further notice as a result of increasing cases of COVID-19.
However, private burials with no more than 25 people are allowed with strict adherence to social distancing.
“Until further notice, funerals, weddings, concerts, theatrical performances, and parties are banned. Private burials, with no more than twenty-five (25) people, can take place, with the enforcement of the social distancing, hygiene and mask wearing protocols,” Nana Akufo-Addo said during his 23rd address to the nation on measures being taken to address the spread of the virus.
Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated that “beaches, night clubs, cinemas, and pubs continue to be shut. Our borders by land and sea remain closed.”
Work place measures
“All workplaces, public and private, must employ a shift-system for workers, in addition to the use of virtual platforms for business or work. Conferences and workshops can take place with all the appropriate protocols. However, I encourage the use of virtual platforms for such engagements.
“Restaurants should provide take-away services, and should, as much as possible, avoid seated services.
“The National Sports Authority and the Ghana Football Association should ensure compliance with the twenty-five percent (25%) capacity rule in our stadia, with spectators respecting the social distancing rule and wearing of masks.”
Below are excerpts of his speech:
I came into your homes, on 17th January, to give an account of our COVID-19 situation – a situation which, per available data at the time, was not good. To this end, I appealed to you, my fellow Ghanaians, to help contain the spread of the virus by respecting the protocols Government had put in place. The hope was that we would begin to see an improvement in our case count, as a result. Two weeks on from that address, the situation is even worse.
As at Friday, 29th January, sixty-four (64) more people have, sadly, died, over the last two weeks, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to four hundred and sixteen (416). Our hospitalisation rates are increasing, with the number of critically and severely ill persons now at one hundred and seventy-two (172).
Our hospitals have become full, and we have had to reactivate our isolation centres. Our average daily rates of infection now stand at seven hundred (700), compared to two hundred (200) two weeks ago.
The total number of active cases has more than doubled, from a little over one thousand, nine hundred (1,900), two weeks ago, to five thousand, three hundred and fifty-eight (5,358) currently.
When I delivered Update No. 22, thirteen (13) out of the sixteen (16) regions had recorded active cases; today, all sixteen (16) regions have active cases. Indeed, Greater Accra, Central, Western, Ashanti, Eastern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, and Northern Regions are the hardest hit, accounting for ninety-four percent (94%) of the total number of active cases.
In effect, fellow Ghanaians, we have a lot of work to do in coming to grips with the disease. Given that recent studies show that the UK and other new variants are being transmitted within the population, we should all understand that our current situation could get very dire if efforts are not made, both on the part of Government and by you, the citizenry, to help contain the virus.
The imposition of restrictions on our daily routines helped in reducing the prevalence of the pandemic in the country, and Government has been left with no option but to re-introduce some of these restrictions in order to help save the situation. I know these measures, in the recent past, were unpleasant, but, over a period, they resulted in a favourable situa…
[8:08 PM, 1/31/2021] Kizito BFT: Ghana aims to vaccinate the entire population starting with 20 million people
