Christmas celebrations: Adhere to coronavirus protocols – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the general public to adhere to the coronavirus safety protocols even as they prepare to celebrate Christmas.

Addressing the nation for the 20th time in his televised COVID-19 address since Ghana recorded its first two cases of the novel Coronavirus in March, the president said Ghanaians should “err on the side of caution and observe the COVID-19 safety protocols no matter where we find ourselves”.

Akufo-Addo acknowledged that with five days to Christmas, many families will unite with other members of their families, there will be parties and many social and religious gatherings but admonished, “if you must host or attend such events, they are best held safely outdoors or in very well-ventilated halls, rather than in closed, air-conditioned spaces”.

“Even when organised outdoors, there must be adequate spacing for the maintenance of social distancing. Organisers of such events, public or private, should ensure the presence of ‘Veronica’ buckets, soap and sanitisers, and must insist that patrons use them as frequently as possible,” he added.

Akufo-Addo urged persons with underlying ailments, “such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease and asthma to pay particular attention to their health during the festive season”.

Ghana had 1,139 active coronavirus cases when the president delivered address number 19 on November 8.

But there appears to have been an improvement with Ghana’s situation despite the just-ended election season that saw campaign events breach protocols. Continuous testing and contact tracing are definitely not what they should be as per WHO guidelines.

"Current active cases have reduced from 1,139 to 946 as of Friday, December 18," the president said in his address.

He added, there have also been 52,675 discharges and 333 deaths from 53,954 detected infections.

The hospitalisation rates, he indicated, continued to be very low and “our treatment centres are virtually empty.”

“My fellow Ghanaians, I make this plea to all of you to ensure compliance and mask-wearing protocols in our daily routines. This will help us in our fight against the virus,” he said.