Coronavirus: Stop giving Ghanaians 'false hope', fear is necessary - Kwasi Pratt

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has called on the Akufo-Addo government to stop giving "false hope" to Ghanaians about the success chalked in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, the fight against the pandemic may be far from over if the government does not begin to pump some dose of fear into the minds of Ghanaians.

Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' program on Tuesday, Kwesi Pratt bemoaned the decision by government to tell the citizenry not to be alarmed by the cases being recorded in the country, citing reasons that they are as a result of the backlog of samples that were at the testing centers.

The seasoned journalist held the view that government's approach is the reason why some Ghanaians are refusing to adhere to the safety protocols, particularly the wearing of nose masks, to prevent the spread of the disease.

Ghana's COVID-19 case count has currently risen to 2,719 with 294 recoveries and 18 deaths recorded.

Though according to health experts, Ghana's positivity and mortality rates are low as the country records 0.66% death toll, Kwesi Pratt feared there might be a surge of the infections in the country.

"Almost 3,000 in a matter of four weeks is very scary. We should stop the false hope that we're giving to the people. Because if you give people false hope and tell them to wear nose masks, why would they wear it? You're telling them the disease doesn't call for fears and that the person will recover when he or she gets infected. If he will recover, then why would he wear the mask? We need a dose of fear because the fear helps to manage the situation," he said.

Listen to Kwesi Pratt in the video below