he Covid-19 Response Team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the decision by government to lift the lockdown imposed on some parts of the country is premature.
The Team says the move goes against the criteria stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as necessary to the reversal of the restriction on movement in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
President Akufo-Addo on April 19, 2020, said the three-week imposition which affected Greater Accra and Kumasi, as well as Tema and Kasoa, has achieved its objectives.
The aims, he said, among which was the need to scale up tracing and testing people who may have come into contact with those who had already tested positive.
The President reiterated that the decision was backed by data adding the ban on social gathering and enforcement of social distancing protocols and closure if the country’s borders remain in place.
But in a statement signed by Prosper Bani, the NDC Covid-19 Response Team believes development is “dangerous and would most likely result in a significant escalation in the numbers of cases beyond the 1048 we presently have, as stated by government.”
The April 20 communique highlighted that “the virus is not yet under adequate control in Ghana to merit any ease of restrictions on movement at this time.”
The NDC Team also requested that the data which necessitated the lifting of the lockdown must be made public in order not to create a “false sense of security among Ghanaians.”
“Until that information is available, we encourage Ghanaians to avoid a false sense of security and continue to stay at home as much as possible, avoid non-essential movement and respect all health protocols outlined from the onset,” the statement read.
