Former President John Dramani Mahama has noted prayer is key in times of crisis, however, it must be backed by a plan and strategy.

Speaking at the end of a three-day prayer and fasting service declared by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Mahama said: “It is my earnest prayer that at a time such as this, the public welfare will triumph over personal and partisan interest.”

He said: “Our leaders owe this nation not just prayers but a plan too. One that all of us can believe in, that we can rally around, and that we can commit our hearts and mind to. For while hope brings comfort it is not in itself a strategy. We must project the course of this disease while taking a cue from best and worst-case response scenarios such as Korea and Italy even as the world accelerates research towards the production of a vaccine.

“A plan that involves ensuring that frontline health care workers as a matter of urgency have the manuals, appropriate training and protective logistics to boost their confidence in fighting this disease.”

President Akufo-Addo on Saturday declared Wednesday, March 25, 2020, a national day of prayer and fasting as Ghana records 21 cases of the Covid-19 virus with on death.

Mr Mahama called on party followers to support the president’s call but added: “For all people of faith, this is a time to show charity and compassion. I urge you to reflect on your beliefs, and not to engage in practices that will escalate the present anxieties in the nation. Price hiking and other such opportunistic practices are beneath the dignity of the moment.”