President of the GMA, Dr. Frank Ankobea, has denied claims made by The Chronicle newspaper that he projected that the country could go into a total lockdown due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.
He said although it is evident that the cases in the country have started rising again, he has however never made any such statement anywhere.
According to a story on the front page of The Chronicle newspaper's Wednesday, January 13, 2021, titled, "Total lockdown imminent - GMA Prez," the paper's Sebastian R. Freiku reported that the GMA boss "has hinted of a possible total lockdown in the country."
The story went on to indicate that "personnel of the health sector were becoming increasingly worried over the cases, insisting a lockdown would be the ultimate solution if all measures fail."
Current figures from the Ghana Health Service put the country's latest COVID-19 figures at 56,230 total cases, with 54,631 recovered cases, 338 deaths, and 1,261 active cases on admission at the various health centers across the country.
But, speaking to Nana Yaw Kesse on Peace Fm's Kokrokoo show on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Dr. Ankobea categorically denied the claims, stating that it could have been a misrepresentation of his words.
"I never said any such thing and I believe it is a misunderstanding of the education I was offering. We are not denying the rising case figures in the country, we have not suggested a lockdown and besides, not even the GMA has the authority to declare a total lockdown in this country," he explained.
He reiterated the calls for people to continue to adhere to the safety protocols for the coronavirus, calling on particularly parents and teachers to be extra vigilant on children as schools resume.
"Every school should have a sickbay and they should collaborate with health facilities in their localities so that they are able to refer suspected cases to them for timely responses," he added.
Dr. Frank Ankobea is the Ghana Medical Association president