The president in his address to the nation said people are not restricted from attending to natures call at public toilets, however, these same people are being subjected to scrutiny and undue delays by security operatives, a situation which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.Īccording to health experts, staying indoors for a very long time can induce stress which negatively impacts on health. The restriction of movement is thus, negatively impacting on their ability to earn any income, hence, affecting their purchasing power leading to household food insecurity which will compromise the immune system of these families. The government is reminded that, majority of the Ghanaian people at the lockdown areas are in the informal sector and live on their daily hustles on the street. This should, however, extend to other vulnerable and homeless individuals on the streets.ĬHALLENGES: ECONOMIC, SANITATION RELATED AND PSYCHOLOGICAL The introduction of the Ghana Learning Television (GL TV) by the Ghana Education Services to educate pupils from primary to Senior High Levels is commendable and should be utilized by all concerned pupils and teachers, whereas the Gender Ministry’s initiative of providing shelter and food to Kayeye’s at affected areas is a step in the right direction which needs to be properly implemented. But for the lockdown in parts of the country, I could not have agreed more with a suggestion by some individuals that all politicians who fall sick be sent to health facilities in their constituencies for treatment. By God’s grace, the politicians who would have run to the western world for medical check-ups and treatment at the expense of the taxpayer and as a result of the neglect of their own health systems now have no routes of escape.
The fortune in the COVID 19 stimulated lockdown is the fact that parents who otherwise, for the sake of tight work schedules had no time to spend with their children can now bond with them. The good people of Ghana are adjusting to cope with the lockdown in the interest of public health and for others, for fear of being brutalized by security operatives.
As the number of cases recorded in Ghana is increasing steadily and spreading to other regions with Two Hundred and Four cases in Five regions as at 2 nd April, 2020, there remains a possibility of extension of the lockdown to other regions if not the entire nation, and a potential total lockdown. In the face of the serious health and economic threats posed by the COVID 19 pandemic, a lockdown in parts of the country is among the surest means of preventing the spread with China being a classical example. However, the effectiveness of measures by government to reduce the numerous challenges faced by the ordinary Ghanaian due to the lockdown remains a major concern while as to whether the nation will learn lessons from this pandemic remains a question yet to be answered. The lockdown in parts of our beloved country is a necessity in preventing the spread of the Coronavirus Disease pandemic. Indeed, desperate situations call for desperate measures.