Rawlings funeral heading to be a coronavirus super-spreader – Senyo Hosi cautions

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi, has warned that the 4-day final funeral rites of former President Jerry John Rawlings have the potential of becoming a COVID-19 super-spreader event.

Ahead of the final internment of former President Rawlings, the state has scheduled a four-day series of events that commenced on Sunday, January 24, 2021, as part of the final funeral rites.

However, recognising the mode of activities marking the funeral and rising cases of COVID-19 being recorded in the country, Mr Hosi has expressed worry that the late president’s funeral may become an avenue for the spread of the virus.

“Amidst all that's obvious about our COVID-19 situation, I humbly plead that the State revises the structure of President Rawlings's funeral. It is undoubtedly heading for a super-spreader COVID-19 event.

We can have this four-day session virtual as a TV production with physical attendance highly restricted to not more than 100 or 25 attendees,” he shared in an open address to the president on his Facebook wall,” he said.

He adds his belief that the late former president will not be happy if people get infected or lose their lives to COVID-19 courtesy of his funeral and has thus urged the state to do right by holding the funeral in a manner that does not necessarily become a big super-spreading COVID-19 event.

As part of the funeral activities, a requiem mass was held in honour of former President Rawlings at the Holy Spirit Cathedral on Sunday morning after which a vigil was held at the Airforce Officers Mess in the evening.

The body of the late former president will be laid in state at the Accra International Conference Centre where state officials, foreign dignitaries, and the general public will be given the opportunity to pay their last respects between Monday, January 25 to Wednesday, January 27, 2021.