We will treat the lockdown with humanitarian face - Police

The Ghana Police Service is asking the public to cooperate with the outfit in its quest to ensure the effectiveness of the lockdown restrictions.

At a press briefing in Accra, Sunday, DCOP Dr. Sayibu Gariba, Director of National Operations indicated that the service was poised to ensure compliance of the orders and would need maximum cooperation from the populace.

He however emphasized that the security agency does not intend to terrorize the citizenry. According to him, it is not a combat operation but humanitarian.

“It is a humanitarian operation; not a war. We're not going to intimidate anybody, we're going to support to achieve the overall objective of the president of Ghana,” he said.

In his 4th televised addressed to the nation, president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday evening declared a partial lockdown of Accra, Tema and Kumasi effective 1am on Monday, March 30, 2020 as part of drastic measures to curb the spread of the deadly Coronavirus disease.

“Prevailing circumstances mean that stricter measures have to be put in place to contain and halt the spread of the virus within our country, especially in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, which have been identified by the Ghana Health Service as the ‘hotspots’ of the infections," he said.

Some services, including members of the security agencies assigned lawful duties; staff of electricity, water, telecommunications, e-commerce and digital service providers; members of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary; production, distribution and marketing of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medicine, paper and plastic packages; staff of VALCO were however exempted from the restrictions.