I had sleepless nights when coronavirus started – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that the emergence of COVID-19 gave him sleepless nights.

“Nobody understood, the virus appeared to be a new phenomenon and its trajectory was completely unknown,” he told Paul Adom Otchere on Good Evening Ghana Thursday.

Akufo-Addo added: “I think this is a demonstration for me of something that I have been preaching within the government from the beginning, the need for cooperation and also anyone issue must bring the best minds available to you around the table,” he said.

Akufo-Addo indicated that the minds available within the Ghanaian public health sector were high-quality minds with very good experience.

“I’m a firm believer in these wide consultations when things happen…sometimes when you are a layman in a particular matter, there is an advantage because you don’t have prejudices…it is the argument and its quality when put before you, that will decide whether or not you will buy it but at the end of the day, I had to make the final decision," the President said.

“So far, the decisions that have been made find resilience among the people of Ghana because I think that in dealing with such a situation that is an exceptionally important element," he added.

“The students in China…whether they should come or not, I had a sleepless night on that matter. I was persuaded by the arguments that said when pandemics of such nature break out, it is better to confine people to where the thing happened rather than export them and move them around…and I said to myself what if one of these young people were your nephew, son or daughter, how would you feel?” he stated further.