Coronavirus: Why Ghana needs a complete lockdown - Former athletics chief explains

22nd Mar 2020 | Source: graphic.com.gh

Coronavirus: Why Ghana needs a complete lockdown - Former athletics chief explains

A former chief of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), George Haldane Lutterodt has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to place the country under a two-week lockdown with immediate effect following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

He, however, maintained that essential services should remain available when the country goes into the lockdown which will be the most ideal measure to curb the spread of the Coronavirus which has infected 21 persons and claimed the life of one person in Ghana.

“We are entering into a new phase of this crisis and the President must take the bold step of shutting this country down to protect the lives of Ghanaians,” Mr Lutterodt said in an interview yesterday in Accra.

Social distancing not observed

According to Mr Lutterodt, his reason for calling for a lockdown is due to the inability for Ghanaians to observe the protocols of social distancing as prescribed by medical experts.

“This is one of the most crucial ways in which we can stop the deadly coronavirus from spreading,” he stated.

He is also advocating for a partial lockdown in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions if the complete lockdown is not possible.

“We must give absolute support to the government and one must commend them for their transparency with the Ghanaian people in what could be the most trying times in our country’s history,” he noted.