Many people would have lost their jobs if lockdown wasn’t lifted – TUC

The Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, has said the restriction on the movement of people in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Tema, Kasoa and the Kumasi Metropolitan Area due to the coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of jobs losses in the country.

He revealed that the impact of the pandemic in the employment sector is mindboggling, indicating more jobs and business would have collapsed if the restriction ban was not lifted.

The TUC Secretary-General made this known on Monday, 20th April, 2020, during a meeting at Jubilee House where discussions were held on measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus in the country.

Dr. Yaw Baah said, “businesses are collapsing in almost all the sectors of the economy, many people have already lost their jobs, and many more would have lost their jobs without the easing of these restrictions.”

“The fight of this coronavirus is a shared responsibility. We think you and your government are doing what is expected of you. It is time for us Ghanaians to do our part as individuals by observing the safety protocols that will protect us and others from this deadly virus”. He added

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo lifted restrictions imposed on the movement of persons within some parts of Greater Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi.

This decision according to the Akufo-Addo seeks to give government the opportunity to try to contain the spread of the virus, scale-up effectively the tracing of persons who had come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and quarantine those who tested positive and isolate them for treatment.

This was announced by President during his live televised address to the nation Sunday, April 19, 2020.

Although the lifting of the restrictions may come as a reprieve to the many whose livelihoods may have been hit hard following the imposition, access to some major sectors remains restricted.

Four major cities, Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa, had been placed under a three-week lockdown purposely to hold the spread of the Novel Coronavirus.

Ghana’s count of the Coronavirus has increased to 1,042.

99 persons have so far recovered, and have been discharged and 930 persons who have been isolated are responding to treatments either in their homes or in treatment facilities.