Akufo-Addo’s silence on coronavirus protocols during election campaigns worrying – Virologist

A virologist at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) Dr. Michael Owusu has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s deafening silence on this year’s electioneering campaign on COVID-19 protocols violations as very worrying.

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) was one of the first research centres that began testing for the novel coronavirus when it was first recorded in the country by the Ghana Health Service.

Dr. Michael Owusu speaking on Kumasi based Otec Fm in an interview chided the President’s decision to still close down pubs and bars across the country after allowing political activities to go on during and after the 2020 general election held on December 7.

“It’s worrying for the President to have allowed political rallies to go on but have decided to close down pubs and others”, Dr. Michael Owusu said in his interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

Dr. Michael Owusu also noted that, the elections campaign by political parties without adhering to the COVID-19 protocols is responsible for the rise in the cases recorded especially in the months of November and December.

The Virologist’s comment comes after President Akufo-Addo in his 20th address to the nation on measures taken to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus said pups and bar across the country remain closed.

President Akufo-Addo underscored the need for citizens to adhere to and practice all hygiene protocols laid down for the fight against the pandemic that has killed a total of 1,691,206 across the globe.

However, speaking in his interview Monday, Dr. Michael Owusu categorically stated that, President Akufo-Addo’s approach to the fight especially during the elections period is “worrying”.

He argued that it was even better during the voter registration because everyone was wearing their masks.

“However, after the elections when the NPP won, you could see people were not wearing nose masks whiles jubilating. It was something we could have prevented”, he said.