The Coalition of NGOs in Health has expressed some disquiet about the reversal of many of the restrictions that were implemented by the Office of the President along with the Ministry of Health when COVID-19 struck.
The Coalition is of the opinion that the new reversals could see the country relapse into an uncomfortable situation; particularly as there are heightened waves of cases of COVID-19 in Shanghai.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, the Upper East Regional Secretary for the Coalition of NGOs in Health, Patrick Namoo said extreme caution has to be taken so that the country would not be plunged into another catastrophic wave of the pandemic as has been seen in parts of Asia.
“Personally, I was not so much impressed. I was actually thinking that we were going to be given updates about the numbers of the cases in the country. But to open reverse all the restrictions was not the way to go. The virus is still there. It has not gone yet,” he said.
“I will be so afraid that we will have to go back to the situation where there are heightened numbers of the disease,” he added.
Mr. Namoo added that the president’s decision to quit testing for COVID-19 for persons who had been fully vaccinated in other countries was not the way to go.
He said that while it is fully within the remit of the president to reverse the restrictions that were put in place, there needs to be extreme caution, particularly, as land borders have been opened. The President, in his 28th address, also stated that funerals, sporting activities and other social activities which had to operate with capped numbers could resume normal operations.
Mr. Namoo called for more concerted efforts at dealing with the situation at hand
Background
Government is allowing the opening of public spaces to full capacity from Monday, March 28, 2022.
President Akufo-Addo says the limitations and bans placed on huge gatherings have been removed.
These form part of the country’s move to reverse the Executive Instrument the saw the imposition of restrictions as part of the fight against Covid-19.
During his public address on Sunday night, the President announced that these facilities can now admit patrons to full capacity under full vaccination.
“Outdoor functions at sporting events, entertainment spots, political rallies and funerals may resume at full capacity, again, as long as all persons at these events are fully vaccinated,” he said.
According to him, “government will continue to engage all religious and traditional leaders, agencies and institutions to encourage their congregants, subjects and citizens, respectively, to be vaccinated, to help achieve the 20 million target by June 2022.”
The President also announced the re-opening of Ghana’s land borders after two years of closure.
This will allow for the flow of human traffic through neighbouring countries after they were closed in March 2020.
A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
