We gambled with coronavirus during December 7 elections – Alex Segbefia

Alex Segbefia, a former Minister of Health has accused the government of gambling with the lives of Ghanaians during the 2020 elections.

Ghana’s coronavirus numbers have witnessed an upturn since the December 7 elections.

This has led to suggestions that the country let it guard down the campaigning period and that could be the cause of the sudden rise in numbers.

Speaking on Citi TV, Alex Segbefia said that government pretended everything was well and failed to inform Ghanaians about the real state of Ghana's battle against the virus.

“Well, as a nation we took a gamble and the gamble was to ensure we go through an election, so people will not feel unsafe during those times…So we lied to ourselves and gave ourselves a negative sense of hope and security. Thinking it was not as bad and that it was on the decline. A lot of things were swept under the carpet as well. So with elections coming, we got away with it at a point,” he said.

Alex Segbefia explained that the disregard for the safety protocols could be blamed on a change in mindset about the virus which was fueled by the government in the lead up to the elections.

He noted that Ghanaians have thrown caution to the wind because of the kind of information the government has preached over time.

“In my humble opinion, I think we took a gamble during the elections, and we got away with it but that also meant that when you have a certain people with a certain mindset when this new wave of cases came along, we were not in any position to let people understand that the virus is still out there and the virus never left. We could’ve been a little more careful, hammered a lot more on the educational aspect of it but here we are now,” he noted.

He charged the government to take responsibility for Ghana’s rising numbers and not place the entire blame at the doorstep of the public.

“The virus is now on the ascendency and this not only happening in Ghana or Africa but the entire world. And this second wave is more infectious than the first and this one seems deadly as well. The cases cut across all age brackets and that is why the issue of the schools reopening is becoming a topic for discussion.”

“You have parents questioning if this is the right time for their wards to return to schools. Leadership has some level of responsibility. I listened to the Spokesperson, and he tried to put the blame on the people. That, you can do to a point, but leadership also has to bear most of the blame for where we are now. The people do not only follow the directives but also the example leadership bring forth. I think every political party has not behaved in a manner that has helped us solved the problems associated with the virus.”