Covid-19: Akufo-Addo To Speak Soon On Measures For Christmas – Dr Nsiah-Asare
Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare says President Akufo-Addo will in the coming days announce measures adopted by his government to curb the spread of the virus ahead of the Christmas celebrations.
He is expectant that the President will throw more light on measures that have been introduced by the Ghana Health Service.
Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare made this known on Saturday while contributing to discussions on Newsfile. Among the issues discussed were measures to combat the spread of the virus, particularly the Omicron variant that has been recorded at the Kotoka International Airport.
“The President will be speaking very soon on these new measures. He will also mention all the various protocols that we have put in place. We are not changing any protocol. The protocols have helped us and we will continue abiding by the protocols, “he said in an interview on Accra-Based TV.
Since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic last year in March, President Akufo-Addo has been addressing the nation on measures his administration has put in place to intensify the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent further spread.
His latest update (the 26th address) was on July 25, when the country’s Covid-19 cases hit 100,000.
Currently, the Ghana Health Service has directed that all persons, 18 years and above, arriving in Ghana from December 12, must provide proof of full vaccination.
This is however not applicable to unvaccinated Ghanaians and residents who are currently outside the country and intend to return within 14 days from the midnight of 12th December, 2021.
The new directive is to ensure the country limits the importation of the virus during the Yuletide season. Already, Ghana has recorded 30 Omicron cases at the Kotoka International Airport, per information from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).
It will be recalled that following the Christmas celebration in 2020, the country experienced some waves of the virus this year.
To ensure this does not recur, the Ghana Health Service has stated that its personnel will visit schools, workplaces, churches, mosques, lorry parks, market places, sports stadiums and ‘house to house’ to vaccinate people.
According to Dr Nsiah-Asare, government has learnt its lesson, therefore has put in adequate measures to prevent another wave.
“We have been here before. Last year around this time, we were having seemingly low figures and everybody thought everything is gone. This year round, we have gone through waves – one in the early part of the year (January, February and March) and a second wave in August, September to October.
“We have learnt lessons from whatever happened last year,” he said.