Another lockdown in Ghana is imminent if the disregard for COVID-19 prevention protocols continues.
This is the view of Ghana Medical Association (GMA) which is worried about the rising number of new cases.
There are currently 1,139 active COVID-19 cases in Ghana from about 400 some three weeks ago.
A number of stakeholders including President Akufo-Addo in his 19th COVID-19 national address have expressed fears of dire consequences for the public’s disregard for the COVID-19 safety protocols.
The Assistant General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Doctor Titus Beyuo urged the public to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols to control community spread.
“Looking at the trend, it is worrying. Whether we’ll get to a lockdown or not, it depends on all of us. If we do nothing and allow it to continue this way then we will get there. If we do something about it, we can avert it [another lockdown]. What we can do is the use of nose mask, social distancing, observing all the protocols, frequent handwashing to reduce the community spread. If we sit down and do nothing but pretend the virus is gone, then we will definitely get back to where we do not want to get to which is the lockdown stage,” he said.
The Association is also pushing for the speedy completion of the infectious disease centres in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.
According to the President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea, this will give a major boost to the delivery of quality healthcare in the country.
“We cannot afford to let our guard down. The GMA appeals to the National COVID-19 trust fund and other stakeholders to expedite action on the building of the infectious diseases centres in Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi. Again as a country, let us continue to invest and strengthen our laboratories since COVID-19 exposed our laboratory system as one of the weakest link in the health sector”.
Dr. Frank Ankobea also wants politicians to speak about COVID-19 safety protocols while on their political rallies.
“We have always maintained that we should keep strictly to the safety protocols, one of them being the wearing of nose masks and the others being maintaining social distancing and washing your hands with running water regularly. Unfortunately, our politicians are not helping us. You see mass campaigns and you see people there not wearing masks and all that and this is likely to help spread the virus. We’ll therefore ask our politicians to actually provide masks for people who come to listen to them. And we would be very happy if any politician who mounts the platform must first talk about the prevention of COVID-19 before giving their message,” he added.