Lockdown lifted: Akufo-Addo ‘disappointed’ us, we expected a total lockdown – Health expert

Many health professionals have expressed their disappointment at President Akufo-Addo’s lifting of the 3-week partial lockdown in Greater Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa on Sunday, April 19.

A former Director-General of Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa is one of them.

According to the health expert, he, together with his colleagues in the health sector were looking forward to seeing the president announce either a total lockdown of the country or at least, extend the partial lockdown to the end of April to protect the lives of Ghanaians.

The president had said earlier, “We know what to do to bring back our economy back to life. What we do not know how to do is to bring people back to life. We will, therefore, protect people’s lives, then their livelihoods."

Prof. Badu Akosa was of the view that Akufo-Addo should have been guided by those words and hence extended the partial lockdown to all regions.

In expressing his disappointment in an interview on CitiTV’s Point of View show, he said, “I expected probably two weeks to the end of April and I expected that at least all regional capitals should have been locked down as well”.

He pointed out that the deadly coronavirus the country is battling has moved from the epicenters, thus, Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa to other regions and it is fast spreading.

His reason for advocating an extension was that, “already, the lockdown in so many areas were not being observed properly and we needed to make sure that we do not get ourselves into a situation where there would be a rebound and then we’ll be rushing back to take measures”.

Prof. Badu Akosa also acknowledged that it was the duty of the president to either lock or unlock the partial lockdown.

He advised that government intensifies public education as well as have more testing centers so the country combats the deadly disease.

Ghana’s current count of the Coronavirus infections has risen sharply to 1,042 with 99 recoveries and over 18,000 outstanding tests to be declared.