Our measures are working – Akufo-Addo touts Coronavirus landmarks

“The fact of the matter is that the measures we have taken appear, by the grace of God, to be working, our healthcare system is, so far, not overwhelmed, and, you, the Ghanaian people, have largely embraced the principles of social distancing, the wearing of masks, and the enhanced hygiene protocols, which are our most effective defences against the virus.”

This was what President Akufo-Addo had to say when he took the podium to deliver his 10th address on the updates of the Coronavirus as well as how far the country has come in fighting the pandemic.

After 11 weeks of fighting the COVID-19 with no end in sight as far as the discovery of a vaccine is concerned, the president revealed that although there was more work to be done, his government was satisfied with the rate of containment of the disease.

He explained that the fatality rate attributed to the virus has not been as dire as was previously feared. The development was taken into consideration during his deliberations with the various stakeholders before arriving at the decision to ease the restrictions on movement in the country.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated the promise of fortifying the health sector; a decision which has led to plans to construct, “within a year, a fully-equipped, functional district hospital for each district that does not have one, and a fully-equipped, functional regional hospital for each of the new regions.

As an update to the current measures to be observed, he directed that institutions which have been given the green light to operate fumigate and disinfect their premises.

Again, the use of facemasks, frequent handwashing and use of sanitisers have been made mandatory at all places.

“We have to empower and increase the number of our healthcare professionals across board. Universal Health Coverage must become reality for all Ghanaians, not a slogan, for every Ghanaian deserves good health and good healthcare. We need to focus our energies on ensuring access of poor people to decent housing.

We can no longer ignore this basic requirement of social justice. We have to make the things we use and grow the foods we eat. We have to come out of this crisis better, stronger and more united than before. Ghana, free, united, socially just, self-reliant and productive, that is the Ghana we are going to create together after we have defeated this virus,” President Akufo-Addo intimated.

Ghana’s confirmed Coronavirus cases stand at 8070 with 2,947 recoveries and a death toll of 36.