General News of Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Source: peacefmonline.com

Government may stop food distribution to the vulnerable - Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has asked Ghanaians not to panic as Ghana’s COVID-19 cases have gone up.

Ghana as at last count upadate on Tuesday has 636 cases with 17 recoveries and 8 deaths.

It is estimated by some health experts that the numbers will continue going up because of the continuous testing.

The Ofoase-Ayirebi MP who was speaking in an interview on Peace FM's morning show said indeed the numbers will go up because more tests are being conducted.

However, ‘don’t panic, be concerned’.

Lockdown extension or lifting

President Akufo-Addo in his recent address to the nation extended the partial lockdown by one more week and on day 16 with 636 cases, the question is whether the restrictions will be lifted or extended.

Speaking to this, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said lifting or extending the partial lockdown will be determined by data since the aim of the lockdown is to control the spread and ‘go ahead of the virus’.

Social distancing in food distribution

There are concerns over how food is distributed to the vulnerable in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown.

Videos on social media have shown crowds gather in queues for food and other items; a situation that can cause community spread.

According to the Information Minister, the local government and Gender Ministries have come out with a guideline to guide the distribution of the food.

He further urged that the vulnerable abide by the guidelines to avoid the spread of the virus; adding, if that is not done, government can decide to stop distributing the food.