Strict enforcement of social distancing under relaxed lockdown

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council wishes to thank the President, the entire COVID-19 Response Team and all Health workers for their untiring efforts in managing the COVID-19 spread so far.

We also wish to congratulate the Laboratory scientists at Noguchi, KCCR and the Contacts tracing teams for their high level of commitment to duty even under very limited resources.

The relaxation of the three weeks’ lockdown as announced by the President yesterday is quite encouraging, especially for many Ghanaians who are in the informal sector of the economy.

While welcoming this move, the Council is, however, appealing to all Ghanaians not to take this relaxation of the lockdown for granted but should to continue to observe strictly the measures rolled out by government to minimize or stop the spread of the virus.

As a Council, we are worried that many Ghanaians are not taking these measures meant to protect us, especially the Social Distancing protocols quite serious during the three weeks’ lockdown.

We are particularly concerned about the non-observance of the social distancing protocols by state institutions and officials assigned the responsibility for distributing wet food to groups of vulnerable persons in the lockdown areas of Accra and Kumasi.

If this behaviour of our state officials and institutions who should know better are disregarding this basic but very important principle of containing the spread of the virus, we are afraid it has the potential to become the next most likely mode of spread of the virus.

We must, however, commend the Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) partnering the government in the distribution of food for adhering strictly to the social distancing protocols by delivering food right at the doorsteps of beneficiaries without calling them out to form long queues.

We are thus calling on government to urgently take steps to change the mode of distribution of especially wet food to the vulnerable in the defined operational areas if this relaxation of the lockdown just announced by the President is to achieve its intended purpose.

We are also calling on the security agencies and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to turn their attention to the various markets within their jurisdiction by ensuring their strict compliance with the social distancing protocols.

We are by this press statement once again appealing to all Ghanaians to cooperate with government in these trying moments by adhering to the washing of hands with soap under running water at all times, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers regularly, observe hygienic coughing and sneezing practices using disposable tissue paper and above all practice social distancing and avoid large social gatherings so as to stop the spread of the virus.

Let us all be each other’s keeper, let’s keep hope alive and trust in the Lord Almighty, for this too shall pass.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make us great and strong.

Issued on behalf of the National Executive Council by:

Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong- Manso
(President)


Contact:
General Secretary (0242703772/0208232694

President (0208171938/0244026234