The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his 22nd broadcast to the nation on the COVID-19, painted a grim picture of an upsurge in the disease in Ghana and, therefore, directed the police and other security agencies to collaborate to ensure the strict enforcement of the COVID-19 safety protocol in the country.

“I have instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to direct officers, men and women of the Police Service to ensure the rigorous enforcement of the law on mask wearing at all public places and on public transport.

“They are also to ensure the closure of all night clubs, pubs, cinemas and beaches that may be operating in defiance of the law.”

Following the President’s directive, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) yesterday announced, as reported by the Ghanaian Times, that it was strategising to strictly enforce the order of mandatory wearing of the face masks in public places and on public transport.

According to the Service, it is also engaging with its partners such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), transport, night clubs and pub operators, and the media on the enforcement of the President’s directive.

“We are having engagements with partners to advocate compliance of the directive in ensuring public safety. The police would enforce the mandatory wearing of the face masks to ensure the citizenry is protected from the spread of the disease,” the Director of the Police Public Affairs, Superintendent of Police (Supt) Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman, was quoted as saying on Monday, in Accra.

We have no doubt that the police would carry out their duty as directed by the President but we are uncertain that the public would cooperate with the law enforcement agencies in the performance of their duties.

Given that in recent times some have completely ignored the disease while others have dismissed its existence, we shudder to think that the job at hand would be a herculean task.

It is for this reason that we all need to support the police in enforcing the mandatory wearing of masks in these critical times. No one should sit on the fence in this matter because we all are in it together.

What the police and other security agencies are going to do is going to protect all of us, including themselves, because the disease does not discriminate and is killing both old and young, rich and poor.

That is why it is extremely important for all of us to support the police and to comply with the directive by wearing the nose mask at all times.