The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has served notice it will arrest and prosecute anyone found breaching the Covid-19 protocols.
As part of its routine monitoring, a taskforce put together to ensure compliance with the directive found that many beaches in Accra were still open for business.
President Akufo-Addo during his 20th address to the nation Covid-19 measures maintained the directive that cinemas, pubs, and beaches will remain closed as part of restrictions adopted to contain the novel coronavirus.
“Beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs remain closed until further notice. All other institutions that have been cleared to function are to continue to do so in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
On Thursday, however, the GTA taskforce visited Laboma, Labadi, Korle Gono and Sunset among other beaches and found many revelers still swimming or having some form of entertainment there in clear violation of the President’s directives.
But the operators say they are struggling financially and can no longer keep their businesses closed.
A worker at the Labadi Beach lamented that; “I have children going in the university. So if they close the beach up to now, where can I get money to take care of them. Should I go and rob?”
“Two of our workers have died because if this situation because they couldn’t find money for medicals… They were attending rallies and have secured their jobs for the next four years, yet we are not working,” another cried.
But the Director of Standards & Quality Assurance at the Ghana Tourism Authority opined that it is in the interest of every Ghanaian to observe the President’s directives to help control the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking to JoyNews, Alex Boakye urged “all tourism Enterprise Operators to cooperate with us and comply with the directive of the President. The objective of that directive is to help prevent and control and spread of the disease.”