GhLinks Media
President Akufo Addo has warned that the government will be compelled to put the country under a lockdown if Ghanaians do not adhere strictly to protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic
Delivering his 22nd update on measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus on Sunday (17 January 2021), President said, “We do not want to go back to the days of partial lockdowns, which had a negative impact on our economy and on our way of life… But should that become necessary, i.e., should the number of active cases continue to increase at the current rate, I will have no option but to re-impose these restrictions because it is better to be safe than to be sorry,” the President stressed.
“So, together, let us all ensure that we respect the protocols. I urge all of us to continue to live responsibly with the virus, even as we work towards accessing the vaccine.
“Let us work constantly at how to do our work, keep our businesses and places of worship open, and send our children to school, all in safety,” he implored.
President Akufo-Addo said the country was witnessing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, a situation he said was threatening to erode gains made so far in the fight against the disease in the country.
He said the country now has over 1,900 active COVID-19 cases, with an average daily record 200 infections in past two weeks, treatment centres are full of patients, and the number of patients requiring hospitalisation and intensive care rising sharply from 18 to 120 in just a week, with 33 critical cases among those.
Also, Ghana Health Service statistics indicate that the considerable number of persons who are severely ill are relatively youthful persons, with no previous underlying health conditions, and the number of confirmed deaths has increased from previous count of 338 to 352 within two weeks.
