Coronavirus: Lash pastors who defy President's directives - Amankwah Sarfo

A national communication team member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Fred Amankwah Sarfo wants pastors who defy the President’s directive on social gathering to hold church services to be whipped to deter others.

Some pastors in the Ashanti, Central and Eastern Regions openly resisted President Akufo – Addo’s directive on social gathering as a measure to stop the spread of the Coronavirus currently plaguing the world.

Speaking on Kingdom TV’s “Pae Mu Ka”, Fred Amankwah Sarfo told host, Kwaku Dawuro that if the pastors are unyielding, the only way to curb such indiscipline is to lash them.

"President Akufo–Addo in his wisdom has placed a premium on the fight against coronavirus, but some pastors keep having church services. They should be lash for refusing to obey a social order to serve as a deterrent,” he emphasized.

Police in the Ashanti Region Sunday morning rearrested the head pastor of Open Arms Ministries, Apostle Kofi Nkansah Sarkodie, for once again holding a church service despite the ban on religious activities because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Apostle Kofi Nkansah Sarkodie and two of his church members were first arrested on Wednesday for defying the president’s order as they held a church service.

Apostle Kofi Nkansah Sarkodie will be arranged tomorrow [Monday].

Churches and Mosques all over the country have largely complied with the directive of the President to ban public gatherings.

Several churches over the week have held online services with others holding live services on radio and television stations.

Meanwhile, three more cases of the novel Coronavirus have been confirmed by health officials in Ghana on Sunday.

This makes the number of active cases 23 with one death.

As of 22 March 2020, 14:00 Hrs, a total of 315 suspected cases have been tested for COVID-19 by Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR).