Coronavirus: We’ll decide on possible lockdown of Eastern Region by close of today – Regional Minister

Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Daffour, has revealed that the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council is considering a lockdown as one of the measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in the region due to the increasing number of cases.

He said even though a total lockdown has not been declared, the council is deliberating some stiffer measures to minimize interactions between individuals and organizations.

He added that final decision on new steps taken will be concluded by close of today, 13 April, 2020.

The decision comes on the back of the increasing number of cases in the Eastern Region as it records 32 cases of novel coronavirus after its first case on April, 1.

The numbers increased after about 244 samples of construction workers were sent to Noguchi Institute for Medical Research.

The 244 are quarantined contacts in AFCON Construction Company in Lower Manya Krobo where an Indian expatriate working on Tema to Akosombo railway project tested Positive on March 31, 2020.

Speaking to Citi News ahead of today’s deliberation, the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Daffour, with regards to a lockdown said:

“The Chief Executives in those areas have also up their games trying to bring all measures of restrictions in order to minimise the interactions between individuals and organizations. From Osudoku to Lower Manya to Akosombo, those areas are heavily populated and so the security agencies and the public health emergency service committee are working on that. But we have not declared a total lockdown yet. We are following the development so by Monday, I do strongly believe that we will be able to come out with a possible determination,” he assured.

Meanwhile, contact tracing has commenced in the Kpong township after the increase of novel Coronavirus cases in the Lower Manya Krobo district.

The recent cases in the district compelled the Municipal Assembly to impose some restrictions on residents and traders in the municipality.

Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has risen to 566. This comes after the Ghana Health Service confirmed 158 new cases.

Volta and Western regions have recorded cases; bringing the number of regions with infections to ten (10).



Before this development, regions that had reported cases were Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West.

"The breakdown of the 566 positive cases are as follows: four (4) have been treated, discharged and tested negative, 552 cases have been categorised as mild disease on treatment, two (2) moderate to severe cases, none currently on ventilators and eight (8) have died,” the Ghana Health Service stated Sunday evening.