Some Ghanaians are not observing the social distance directive by the president even after he lifted the 3 weeks lockdown in some part of the country.
When the infectious disease was fast spreading in the country, the president issued a directive to Ghanaians to stay home, ban social gathering, schools and churches closed until further notice but some said the president should have consulted them before taking these action but in the view of the president, the health and life of every citizen is precious and important to him, therefore, announcing a lockdown.
Some suggested and called for total lockdown when people were infected with the virus.
If people do not adhere to social distancing, use hand sanitizers and wear the face mask then the government will have no option than to introduce a more draconian measure in the movement of people.
The president's call for a lockdown could prepare the country for stiffer measures if and when the situation so demands.
The most effective weapon in the fight against the coronavirus, the evidence so far suggests, is social distancing.
This requires people to disrupt their lives and livelihoods.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he has put health workers and the security services, including the Police Service and the Armed Forces on standby to coordinate a rapid response of human and logistical resources, if necessary, to cordon off, impose a curfew, trace, test, and treat infected persons should there be an unexpected outburst in coronavirus infections.
He admitted that Ghana "will continue to record new cases of infections, particularly with our policy of aggressive tracing and testing. However, I want to assure you that the government has put in place the appropriate measures to isolate and treat them. Should there be an unexpected outburst in infections within a community, I have put the health workers and the security services, including the Police Service and the Armed Forces, on standby, to co-ordinate a rapid response of human and logistical resources, if necessary, to cordon off, impose a curfew, trace, test, and treat infected persons in the affected community."
A curfew is restrictive in nature. It places enormous limitations on the rights of persons within the affected area, including their freedom of movement. Section 4(5) of Act 491 relevantly states that where a curfew is imposed, "no person shall be out of doors between such hours as may be specified in the instrument except under the authority of a written permit granted by such person as may be specified in the instrument".
The world witnessed a huge economic shock due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the majority of countries adopted a lockdown of all social activity.
Many Ghanaians have highlighted the plight of the poorest sections of society, particularly those who are trudging miles to be back home, having lost their daily wages, and now depend on either the government support or private charity for food and shelter.
Low-income families living in urban shantytowns are faring due to the crisis but what has been the impact of the shutdown on their earnings and incomes?
While the Central government has responded with various measures to mitigate economic hardships, such as food transfers, how effective have these policy responses been in reaching the low-income households in urban clusters?