GMA Proposes Closure Of Schools As Cases Of COVID-19 Hikes
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has proposed for schools in the country to be shut down in order to control the rising spread of Coronavirus in the country.
The call comes in the wake of increasing fatalities among COVID patients in the country.
The death rate of the virus has reached 464 following the confirmation of eight more fatalities.
Additionally, the country has recorded 765 new infections, raising its active cases to 6,411 from a previous 6,095 since the last update on Saturday, February 6, 2021.
The new infections are from tests conducted as of February 03, 2021.
Speaking in an interview, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GMA Dr. Paa Kwasi Baidoo said the rate of infections will get out of hands if immediate measures are not adopted.
“With the evidence available now, I will not hesitate to say that let’s close or suspend schools. We can test the children, send those who test negative home and keep those who test positive, and manage them. Ghana will not be the only country where they’ve opened schools and closed them because of #COVID19. So there should be a national discussion on what threshold we hit before we close down schools”.
He also noted drinking spots and bars in the country have become superspreaders of the virus.
“One difficulty we have is the drinking spots, bars, and puns. These are superspreader activities but they tell you it’s an open space. But we’ve recorded cases where people went out drinking with friends.”