President Akufo-Addo on Sunday gave updated the national on efforts his government are undertaking to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country for the 14th time, since March.
This is first address to the nation on the Covid-19 crisis since he came out of isolation. His need to self-isolate was on doctor’s advice after a member of his inner circle tested positive for the virus.
Restrictions on transport sector lifted
Akufo-Addo announces new directives to religious bodies
Drinking bars, tourist sites open for business
Below are 10 poignant points from his address.
The president said the country’s Covid-19 recovery rate has improved from 75% to 89.5% in one month.
He said the hospitalisation and death rates have consistently been very low, in the country making it some of the lowest on the continent and in the world.
The first gentleman said Ghanaians “mercifully, are not dying of the virus in the hundreds and thousands that were earlier anticipated and predicted, and that are being seen on a daily basis in some other countries.”
The president expressed his “deepest appreciation to our religious leaders for their strict adherence to the safety protocols, which have prevented any known outbreaks, since they restarted their services”.
He added that from August 1, the time restriction on the meetings has been extended from 1 hour per service to 2 hours. This decision was arrived at in consultation with church leaders.
Commercial vehicles can now resume operations at full capacity, as the president has lifted restrictions on transport activities.
The decision, according to him was taken after consultations with the Transport and Aviation Ministers as well as the leadership of transport unions.
The president has given go-ahead to the women’s national teams, Black Princesses and Black Maidens to start training camps ahead of their respective World Cup qualifiers.
Football and other contact sports have been on suspension since March following the outbreak of the virus. However, U-20 and U-17 women teams have been allowed to start preparing.
President Akufo-Addo announced the reopening of tourist facilities that were earlier shut as part of measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said the move is in consultations with stakeholders of the sector.
“In consultation with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the health experts, I am announcing the reopening of our nation’s tourist sites and attractions, so they can begin to receive visitors.
President Akufo-Addo has lauded the Trustees of the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund for leading the path to glory in a difficult time for the country.
He said the project is a good example of the generous Ghanaian spirit that has been exhibited since the onset of the coronavirus crisis.
“This is a world-class facility, which serves as an example of co-operation between the public and private sectors in our country,” he said.