It’s now mandatory to wear face mask – President Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced that the wearing of face masks is now compulsory due to the sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana.

In his 11th update on COVID-19 to the public, President Akufo-Addo said the police and other law enforcement agencies will enforce this directive through an Executive Instrument.

“With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory.”

“Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offence. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument,” he added.

Ghana has so far recorded 11,964 COVID-19 cases with 54 deaths.

President Akufo-Addo said Ghanaians must know that they are responsible for their lives and live accordingly.

“Let me repeat: our survival is in our own hands. If we are lax and inattentive, we will continue to have serious challenges with the virus. If we are mindful and self-disciplined, we have it in us to defeat this pandemic and help return our lives to normalcy.”

“I appeal to each and every one of you for your help in this regard. That is the surest way to realising our collective vision of building a new Ghanaian civilization where the rule of law is not a slogan, but a directive principle of state development; where we deliver social and economic transformation that has a meaningful impact on the lives of all our people…”

Initially, the wearing of the face mask was made mandatory in the Greater Accra Region.

However, there were no significant sanctions for people who flouted the directive.