Folks, I have been observing social distancing since the president of Ghana officially announced the first two cases of COVID 19 in Ghana on 12th March 2020. I went into self-quarantine since the 16th of March and have been up to date. It is not easy since humans are socially wired by nature.
On the 30th of March, the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi areas of Ghana started a two-week partial lockdown due to increasing cases of COVID 19 in these areas including community spreading with strict adherence to SOCIAL DISTANCING, HAND-WASHING WITH SOAP AND THE USE OF HAND SANITIZERS among other things. The lockdown directive was not an easy decision for the president to make considering the fact that majority of Ghanaians live on a 'hand-to-mouth' bases and are not in a position to buy supplies in bulk in anticipation for the time they are in isolation. Also our social stratification is such that the informal sector drives the economy and the players in this field usually don't have the luxury of reserves to last them days of no operation. Though institutions like the Ghana Medical (GMA) and others advised the Government on the need for a lockdown due to the increasing cases of COVID 19 and the implication on the already overstretched health facilities, Government was hesitant due to the effect a lockdown will have on the majority of the populace.
Finally government heeded to the advise of the experts and declared a two week lockdown starting from 30th March 2020.
Today is the 4th day into the lockdown and I have followed the news with keen interest. At the beginning, most Ghanaians were still coming to terms with the fact that they actually cannot go about their lives as they 'normally' do. In the midst of this shock and confusion, and as the days go by, most people are trying their best to respect the law and are staying at home. A few of the citizens however have found themselves in the arms of the law by being found outside their homes with no reasonable justification why they were seen in the streets.
There have been reports of abuse by the police and military who have been charged with the enforcement of the law. All stakeholders are wide awake monitoring how things unfold and it looks like gradually, the Ghanaian has seen the need for this exercise so as to stop the spread of the COVID 19. Let us continue to educate those who don't quite understand what is happening. And let us do our best to be good citizens by adhering to all the directives that come from the presidency. CITIZENS not SPECTATORS
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