Lifting coronavirus lockdown 'suicidal' – Abraham Koomson

The Executive Director of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Mr Abraham Koomson says the decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to lift the partial lockdown of Accra and Kumasi is “suicidal”.

“What the president is trying to tell us now is, you can go out and go and kill yourself, that is dangerous, it's suicidal,” He said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’ Tuesday, April 21, 2020.

Lifting COVID-19 Lockdown

President Akufo-Addo on Sunday announced the lifting the 3-week lockdown on Greater Accra and Kumasi, with effect from Monday, April 20.

Addressing the nation on Sunday, April 19, 2020, the president, however, stated all other social distancing measures are still in place. Churches, Schools both Public and Private, will still remain shut.

According to the president, the decision to enforce the 3-week lockdown was taken to give Government the opportunity to try to contain the spread of the virus, scale-up effectively the tracing of persons who had come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and quarantine those who tested positive and isolate them for treatment.

Imprudent Decision

But Mr. Koomson, speaking to the show's host Kwesi Aboagye, stated that the president’s decision doesn’t make sense.

“Unless he [President Nana Addo] is trying to tell us that the Coronavirus doesn’t exist. But if indeed the virus is real, then the president has officially granted us [Ghanaians] the freedom to go out there and die. All die be die,” he said.

Protect Yourself

Adding that “I am afraid so I will not risk my life, I will stay home and work. We are not safe in this country”

“Now we must take our destinies in our own hands and protect ourselves, don’t risk it and go out there to die.”