How long will churches, mosques, schools remain closed? – Akufo-Addo decides

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is meeting members of the Council of State to decide on the future of Ghana regarding the measures put in place in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The president expressed satisfaction with the measures so far and, more importantly, the level of compliance by the majority of Ghanaians but said a decision has to be taken on “where we should be going”.

He expressed these sentiments on Tuesday, April 21 when he met the Council of State at the Jubilee House.

Led by Chairman Nana Otuo Siriboe II, the Council of State expressed admiration for the manner in which the president has handled the crisis so far and spurred him on to continue in that direction.

“Indeed, looking at one of the speeches, it reminded me of the way Churchill adopted the affairs of Britain during the 2nd World War and I said Mr President this has been very ‘Churchillian’ both in your delivery and in your comportment and in the depth and content of your speech,” Nana Otuo Siriboe II said.

In explaining the reasons behind the recent single-most important decision to lift the partial lockdown in some parts of the country, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that other measures are still in force, nonetheless.

But he wondered how these can be dealt with as they cannot be a “permanent feature of our national lives”.

“I am anxious to hear your views as to where we are, where we should be going,” he addressed the Council.

“There are still very important measures in place that are impacting the daily lives of our people. How long can we keep the churches closed, how long can we keep the mosques closed? What about our schools? When are they going to be able to resume? What are the circumstances or conditions that we have to see in satisfying before those measures can be taken?”

The closed-door meeting with the Council is expected to firm up decisions on the way forward.