The Communications Director of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammi Gyamfi says the decision by President Akufo-Addo to lift the lockdown on Accra and Kumasi despite the spike in coronavirus cases in Ghana is political.
According to him, the move is intended to allow the electoral commission compile a new voters register for the December polls.
“It is clearly a politically-motivated decision, calculated to allow the EC the space to undertake its entrenched and illogical determination to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 general elections and nothing more.
“Either than that, why will President Akufo-Addo impose a partial lockdown with the objective of halting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, at a time we had only recorded 137 cases across just four (4) regions of the country and with 5 deaths, but turn around to lift the partial lockdown, at a time our positive case count has galloped to 1,042, across ten (10) regions and with nine (9) deaths?, ” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.
The statement added: ” Countries with far lower cases have not lifted or relaxed their lockdown restrictions. Yet, we who are currently the country with the highest COVID-19 cases in West Africa, have against expert advice, lifted our partial lockdown. Doesn’t this defy science and commonsense?
“President Akufo-Addo’s decision to lift the lockdown at this crucial time, is a reckless political gamble that portends great danger for this nation. Ghanaians must never forgive him if this unimaginable decision exacerbates our COVID-19 situation. The blame for any fatality that is occasioned by this reckless decision must lie squarely with the President.
“What the President has essentially done, is to place political expediency ahead of Public safety. And what that shows, is that human lives don’t matter to President Akufo-Addo”.
Meanwhile, Security Analyst Adib Saani has warned that the decision by the President to lift the partial lockdown of Accra and Kumasi is a dangerous gamble that could backfire.
President Akufo-Addo on Sunday announced the lifting the 3-week lockdown on Greater Accra and Kumasi, with effect from Monday, April 20.
Addressing the Nation on Sunday, April 19, 2020, the President, however, stated all other social distancing measures are still in place. Churches, Schools both Public and Private, will still remain shut.
According to President, the decision to enforce the 3-week lockdown was taken to give Government the opportunity to try to contain the spread of the virus, scale-up effectively the tracing of persons who had come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and quarantine those who tested positive and isolate them for treatment.
But in a statement, Mr Saani said the President decision could lead to peak mortality in the next few days.
“It is worth noting that, almost all world leaders including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who ignored WHO warnings, are licking their wounds today. I am not sure we would want to get there. Besides, how effective would enforcing the social distancing protocols be?
“I do appreciate the untold economic and social hardship this lockdown is posing to the ordinary Ghanaian. But we are in desperate times and desperate and sometimes draconian measures would have to be adopted for the greater good of public health and safety,” Mr Saani who is also the Executive Director at Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building noted.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
