As Ghana battles with the COVID-19 pandemic, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday reminded Ghanaians that their survival is in their own hands.

“Let me repeat: our survival is in our own hands. If we are lax and inattentive, we will continue to have serious challenges with the virus. If we are mindful and self-disciplined, we have it in us to defeat this pandemic, and help return our lives to normalcy. I appeal to each and every one of you for your help in this regard,” President Akufo-Addo stated in his 11th broadcast to the nation to give an update on the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Akufo-Addo said it was important for him to remind residents of the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, hotspots of the pandemic, and in the Western and Central Regions, where there was a surge in infection cases, to continue to adhere strictly to the social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols announced.

“With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory. Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offence,” he stated.

“The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument.”