Knowledge

Address To The Nation By The President Of The Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, On Updates To Ghana’s Enhanced Response To The Coronavirus Pandemic, On Sunday, 28th June, 2020.  Fellow Ghanaians, good evening, and thank you for having me in your homes, once again. Two weeks ago, we begun the reopening of our schools, as part of the phased approach to bring our nation back to normalcy, following the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 disease in our country. Since that time, final year University students, SHS 3 and SHS 2 Gold Track students have all returned to school. From, tomorrow, Monday, 29th June, 2020, final year Junior High School students, in seventeen thousand, four hundred and thirty-nine (17,439) schools across the country, will return to school to prepare and sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). They will be the final, and, indeed, the largest batch of students to return to school. In all, we are expecting some seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) persons, comprising five hundred and thirty-two thousand (532,000) JHS 3 students, and two hundred and eighteen thousand (218,000) teaching and non-teaching staff, and invigilators, to be involved in tomorrow’s exercise. To protect the lives of these students, and all other personnel, Government has put in place the relevant measures, in consultation with the Conference of Heads of Basic Schools and Regional and District Directors of Education and Health. Like Senior High Schools, Universities and other tertiary institutions, all Junior High Schools across the country have been fumigated and disinfected. Additionally, we have procured and distributed forty-five thousand (45,000) Veronica Buckets; ninety thousand (90,000) gallons of liquid soap; ninety thousand (90,000) rolls of tissue paper; forty thousand (40,000) thermometer guns; seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) pieces of 200mils sanitizers; and 2.2 million reusable facemasks, i.e. three per person, all with the intent of guaranteeing the safety of the students, teaching and non-teaching staff. Two (2) masks each will be delivered tomorrow, and the third within the next two (2) weeks. I have been very impressed by the adherence to the enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols by authorities and students in our universities and other tertiary institutions, and senior high schools. Yes, there have been a few hitches surrounding the re-opening, but, largely, they have been smooth and seamless. In these institutions, the washing of hands under running water, the maintenance of social distancing, the refrain from shaking hands and hugging, and the wearing of masks, have become a part of the routine of school life. We are determined to ensure the same level of conformity in our Junior High Schools. So, through the District Directors of Education and the District Directors of Health, a COVID-19 sensitisation programme will be organized for all headteachers and their teaching staff, from Monday, the first day of school. This will ensure that the dos and donts of the protocols are clearly spelt out for the teachers for onward transmission to the students. JHS 3 students will be in school for eleven (11) weeks of preparation and revision, before spending the following week to take the BECE. There will be no more than thirty (30) students in a class, and there will be a reduced school day, with students reporting to school at 9am, and closing at 1pm. No breaks outside the classroom will be permitted; assemblies and sporting events are banned; and the use by outsiders of school premises for religious and other activities will not be allowed. As is the case for the other educational institutions, each basic school has been mapped to a health facility, and care will be provided to the sick in these health facilities by nurses assigned to these schools. I assure all parents and guardians that Government will not put the lives of seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) students, teachers and non- teaching staff, who will be returning to school from tomorrow, at risk. We have made all the required provisions to protect them whilst in school. It bears repeating, however, that they must all adhere strictly to enhanced personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, refrain from shaking hands and hugging, and wear masks to protect themselves and others. Our survival, I repeat, is in our own hands, and, together, we can defeat this virus. We all know that these are truly historic times. The world is reeling from the effects of this pandemic, and the things we took for granted, some six (6) months ago, are now under question. The definite and undeniable have been replaced with uncertainty. However, as with any other form of hardship, there are always lessons to be learned, as there are opportunities for growth. What we have witnessed, recently, is that, despite us living in an interconnected and globalised world, each nation, ultimately, stands alone in its challenge to protect its people. Nonetheless, it is obvious that international co-operation, where feasible and practical, can serve to complement the resolution of national challenges. In Ghana, from the very onset, Government has acted to limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life; and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance. As at Saturday, 27th June, 2020, our country has recorded seventeen thousand, three hundred and fifty-one (17,351) confirmed cases, with twelve thousand, nine hundred and ninety-four (12,994) recoveries, representing some seventy five percent (75%) of positives. This means that, currently, we have four thousand, two hundred and forty-five (4,245) active cases, having conducted two hundred and ninety-four thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven (294,867) tests, one of the highest on the continent. Thirty (30) persons are severely and critically ill, and we have a total of one hundred and twelve (112) sad deaths, constituting 0.6% of positives, as we maintain one of the lowest death rates in the world. Fellow Ghanaians, as I have

Address To The Nation By The President Of The Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, On Updates To Ghana’s Enhanced Response To The Coronavirus Pandemic, On Sunday, 30th August, 2020. Fellow Ghanaians, good evening. I thank you for welcoming me into your homes for the sixteenth (16th) time, as the fight to defeat COVID-19 continues not only in Ghana, but across the world. Day-in-day-out, countries, including our own, institute measures to try to limit and contain the spread of the virus, and return lives to normalcy. Some of these measures have been successful, others have not worked, with some countries now experiencing hikes in infection rates, and the emergence of what is referred to as a ‘second wave’ of the virus. With the effectiveness of Government policies, the co-operation of you, the Ghanaian people, and by the grace of God, our nation has been relatively spared such unwelcome developments. Indeed, since 31st May, when Government decided to embark on a strategic, controlled, progressive, and safe easing of restrictions in the country, so as to get our lives and economy back to normal in safety, we have continued to witness low hospitalisation and low death rates. The number of active cases continues to be on the decline. At the time of my last address, two weeks ago, the total number of active cases, that is persons currently with the virus, stood at one thousand, eight hundred and forty-seven (1,847) persons. As at Friday, 28th August, the number of active cases has reduced to one thousand, and fifty-nine (1,059) persons. A total of forty-two thousand, nine hundred and sixty-three (42,963) persons have recovered, and two hundred and seventy-six (276) persons, a great majority of them with underlying illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic liver disease, have sadly died. In as much as these statistics are encouraging, in contrast to what is pertaining in several countries across the world, we cannot afford to let our guard down. We have to maintain, in a state of constant readiness, the enhanced infrastructure and expertise we have built during the period of the virus to cope with it. I have been reliably informed that, in some regions of our country where there are no active cases, some residents are abandoning, altogether, the protocols, such as the wearing of masks, put in place to defeat the virus. Indeed, the high compliance rate with mask wearing of persons surveyed by the Ghana Health Service in some selected areas of Accra, to which I referred optimistically in my last address, has, according to a new survey by the same Service, fallen alarmingly. This is not acceptable, as the enhanced hygiene, mask wearing and social distancing protocols must now be central features of our lives, and they must continue to remain so for some time to come, until we see to the elimination of the virus from our country. Let me remind those amongst us, who want to continue to disregard these protocols, that severe sanctions exist in our laws for such persons, who will want to endanger the rest of the population through their actions and negligence. The law enforcement agencies will, where necessary, apply these measures without fear or favour, ill-will or malice, and without recourse to a person’s ethnicity, gender or religion. Fellow Ghanaians, in Update No.15, I announced the easing of restrictions in some areas of national life. I also indicated my hope that preparations and simulation exercises underway, including the installation of COVID-19 testing facilities at Kotoka International Airport, would give us a clear indication as to whether or not we could re-open the airport on 1st September. After weeks of thorough work, I am satisfied that it is safe to do so. Fellow Ghanaians, I am glad to announce that Kotoka International Airport will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, 1st September 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines. It has been well-established that the very first cases of COVID-19 in Ghana were imported into our shores. We are determined to make sure this scenario does not recur. The commitment to ensuring that the gradual easing of restrictions, including the reopening of our airports, does not lead to the importation or resurgence of the virus into our country, is firmly in place. That is why the following measures have been taken and duly communicated to airlines wishing to resume flights to Ghana: 1. any passenger arriving in Ghana must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not more than seventy-two (72) hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin. All airlines have been instructed to ensure compliance with this directive for all passengers wishing to travel to Ghana, and those airlines who fail in this regard will be duly sanctioned; 2. disembarking passengers must do so wearing face masks; 3. upon disembarking from the aeroplane, each passenger will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger. The test result will be available within thirty (30) minutes; 4. children under the ages of five (5) will not be required to undergo testing at the airport; 5. passengers, who test positive for COVID-19, will be handled by the health authorities for further clinical assessment and management; and 6. passengers, who test negative, can, thereupon, enter Ghana to go about their lawful activities, and will be advised to continue to observe COVID-19 safety precautions during their stay in Ghana. The Ministries of Information, Health and Aviation, and their respective agencies – the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Airports Co. Ltd., and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority – will spell out in further detail the protocols surrounding the re-opening of our international airport, and the procedures to be adhered to by passengers arriving in Ghana at the COVID-19 media briefing tomorrow, Monday, 31st August. For the avoidance of doubt, our borders, by land and sea, will continue

Self careAfter exposure to someone who has COVID-19, do the following: Call your health care provider or COVID-19 hotline to find out where and when to get a test. Cooperate with contact-tracing procedures to stop the spread of the virus. If testing is not available, stay home and away from others for 14 days. While you are in quarantine, do not go to work, to school or to public places. Ask someone to bring you supplies. Keep at least a 1-metre distance from others, even from your family members. Wear a medical mask to protect others, including if/when you need to seek medical care. Clean your hands frequently. Stay in a separate room from other family members, and if not possible, wear a medical mask.Keep the room well-ventilated. If you share a room, place beds at least 1 metre apart. Monitor yourself for any symptoms for 14 days. Call your health care provider immediately if you have any of these danger signs: difficulty breathing, loss of speech or mobility, confusion or chest pain. Stay positive by keeping in touch with loved ones by phone or online, and by exercising at home.

Protect yourself and others around you by knowing the facts and taking appropriate precautions. Follow advice provided by your local health authority. To prevent the spread of COVID-19: Clean your hands often. Use soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub. Maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention. Calling in advance allows your healthcare provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This protects you, and prevents the spread of viruses and other infections. MasksMasks can help prevent the spread of the virus from the person wearing the mask to others. Masks alone do not protect against COVID-19, and should be combined with physical distancing and hand hygiene. Follow the advice provided by your local health authority.

As of 17 March 2020, a total of 143 suspected cases have been tested for COVID-19 by NoguchiMemorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research(KCCR).This afternoon (17 March 2020); we have received report from NMIMR that indicated one (1) moreconfirmed case as positive for COVID-19 in Greater Accra Region. The case patient is a 35-year-old male,a Ghanaian citizen, who returned to Acca from France within the past 14 days. This is another importedcase, which brings the total number of confirmed cases to seven (7). The case is being managed inisolation and he is in stable condition.With regard to contact tracing, a total of 350 contacts have been identified and are being followed up.Two of the contacts who developed symptoms, had their samples tested but they came out to benegative. Currently, there is no death and all the seven (7) confirmed COVID-19 cases are beingmanaged in isolation and are in stable condition.