Ghana to go to another lockdown – GMA

General news for Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Source: Daily mail

2020-11-10

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has warned that Ghana is likely to enter another lockdown if the country’s coronavirus cases continue to rise.

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, and looking at the trajectory, we may have to go back to the confinement, but if that can be avoided, why not?” Said the Deputy Secretary General of the GMA, who is also a member of the Committee. Infectious Diseases Association, Dr. Titus Bayuo told Accra-based Starr FM on Monday, November 9, 2020.

“… we are striving to impose stricter restrictions [i.e. ban on social gatherings, lockdown] and if we arrive, the political leaders will not have a choice ”, he added.

Dr. Bayuo, who was commenting on President Akufo-Addo’s latest speech to the nation on the government’s handling of contagion, argued that if Ghanaians don’t protect themselves and cases keep increasing, “the only way is to restrict themselves.” .

“Is that what we want? If that is not what we want, then we must act now,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo announced the extension of the incentive package for healthcare workers until the end of the year as fears mount of a second wave of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in the country.

“This means that all healthcare workers will not pay income taxes during the months of October, November and December,” declared the president on Sunday, November 8, 2020, in his latest update on the government’s handling of the marauding contagion.

“Once again, all frontline health workers, as defined by the Ministry of Health, will continue to receive the additional allocation of 50% of their basic salary per month, for the months of October, November and December,” he added.

Ghana has seen a gradual change in the trajectory of the virus, with active cases increasing from 398 cases recorded 3 weeks ago, to 1,139 active cases, as of Friday, November 6, 2020.

The total number of deaths now stands at 320, the vast majority of them still with underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease and asthma.

Additionally, the number of daily infections is increasing, from an average of 25 new cases per day at that time, to an average of 130 new cases per day over the course of the past two weeks.