Political rallies also contributed to coronavirus spread - Ex-CJ Sophia Akuffo

Madam Sophia Akuffo, a former Chief Justice, has blamed the spike in COVID-19 cases on among others, political campaigns in the latter part of 2020.

The former top judge who is currently Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the National Covid-19 Trust Fund also held that parties and other Christmas gatherings must have been super spreader events.

She expressed shock at the near carelessness with which people went about their celebrations and other fun activities during the festivity and election period.

“I stopped watching TV before the elections because my heart will be jumping. I just couldn’t, people are excited and together, they are not wearing a mask, they are shouting. There were parties and large gatherings without masks,” she told Accra-based Joy News channel.

“So young people should decide that now it is hip and cool to keep your mask on. When you wear the mask, your nose and your mouth should be covered,” she added.

Her comment comes at a time cases are rising, forcing president Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo to instruct the police to enforce especially the wearing of masks and other virus-related restrictions.

In his January 17 address to the nation, the president also warned that stricter restrictions could be imposed if necessary. He also announced the detection of a new strain of the virus and the likelihood of an overwhelmed healthcare system.

The former chief justice's views are aligned to the school of thought that insists that the president should have explicitly admitted to the role of political activities to the current spike.

Despite the presidential order to reopen schools, some parents have expressed scepticism over the move opting to let their children remain at home in the meantime.

What the president said about spreader events

“Detailed investigations of the cases indicate that, apart from arriving passengers at our airport who tested positive, infected persons have recent histories of attending parties, weddings, end of year office programmes, family get-togethers, and funerals.

At these gatherings, most of them abandoned the use of the masks, and were engaged in actions that led to them contracting the virus,” he added.

Meanwhile, a former Health Minister Dr. Kwaku Afriyie has maintained that there is no science or facts to show that Ghana recorded cases of coronavirus during the campaign period.

Although he described the decision by political parties to hold rallies before the elections as irresponsible and a terrible risk, there is no data to show that Ghana had cases recorded during the rallies, he has stressed.

Speaking on a local radio station, he explained that the incubation period of the virus which is two weeks does not give room for this argument to be true.

He said the politically related activities were outdoor and the transmission spreads through enclosed spaces. Dr. Afriyie added that any activity done outdoor does not necessarily spread the virus.