Amid concerns from a section of Ghanaians that politicians from both sides of the divide are blatantly disregarding coronavirus protocol, President Nana Addo Dankwa has blamed Ghanaians for the rising cases of coronavirus in the country.
Ghana’s numbers which were on a downward curve for months have seen an upward trajectory in recent weeks, heightening worries about a second wave of the virus as being experienced by some European nations.
In his 19th address on the virus delivered on Sunday, November 9, 2020, President Akufo-Addo suggested that the rise is due to the non-adherence to the covid-19 protocols by Ghanaians.
President Akufo-Addo said that Ghanaians who followed religiously the safety protocols at the early stages of the fight against the virus are ‘letting their guards down’ which gives him a cause to worry.
The President who by virtue of photos and videos shared by his own social media handles is seen addressing multitudes of supporters without nose masks and zero social distancing warned Ghanaians that the security agencies will not hesitate to crack the whip on anyone who is found breaching the protocols.
“Our observation, however, is that the reduction in compliance with the preventive protocols accounts for the increases in infections. Fellow Ghanaians, it appears that we are letting our guard down. Now more than ever we have to adhere to mask-wearing, handwashing, use of sanitizers and social distancing protocols,” Akufo-Addo lamented during his speech on Sunday.
He further indicated: “In order to help arrest this new threat of rising infections, [the] Government is going to reaffirm the steps that have served us well so far. We are enhancing the measures of tracing, testing and treatment, i.e. the 3Ts. In addition to this, we will continue to limit the importation of the virus, embark on the strategic, controlled easing of public gatherings, enhance public education and information, and continue to provide relief and support to individuals, families and businesses.”
The President revealed that there has been a constant increase in active cases from 398 three weeks ago to 1, 139 active cases as of Friday, November 6, 2020.
Also, average daily cases have been rising – from 25 cases per day to over 100 within the last two weeks. The number of fatalities from the virus in Ghana stands at 320.
Supporters of the ruling party at a rally