A/R: Pastor Who Defied Akufo-Addo's Directive Twice Faces Court Today

The Head Pastor of Open Arms Ministries, Apostle Kofi Nkansah Sarkodie, is expected to be arraigned later today March 23 for defying President Akufo-Addo's ban on public gathering for the second time.

Apostle Nkansah Sarkodie was rearrested on Sunday for holding a Church service despite an earlier arrest on Wednesday for doing same, flouting a directive by President Nana Akufo-Addo for such gatherings to be suspended as part of efforts to fight COVID-19.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command arrested the Apostle within the week but granted him bail.

The Police moved in to arrest him again on Sunday after he reassembled members of his church.

Churches and Mosques all over the country have largely complied with the directive of the President to ban public gatherings.

Several churches over the week have held online services with others holding live services on radio and television stations.

Additional measures put in place to check spread of COVID-19 pandemic

President Akufo-Addo in an address to the Nation on Saturday, March 21, 2020, announced some additional measures adopted by government to combat the pandemic which has so far infected 24 and killed one person in Ghana.

Ghana has also closed all its borders.

The border closure will last for two weeks according to President Nana Akufo-Addo and “will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo.”

“All our borders; by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks beginning midnight on Sunday,” he said in an address to the Nation on Saturday evening.

President Akufo-Addo said the government's aim with all its measures are to “limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance.”

President Akufo-Addo also announced a mandatory quarantine of all category of travellers who come into the country.

He also said that all persons who may have come into contact with any patient who tested positive will also be tested for the virus.

According to him, this forms part of measures to improve the contact-tracing process and make it easier and more effective to tackle the outbreak in the country.

He also stated that government was securing more personal equipment for frontline workers as 50,000 test kits have already been ordered.

---citinewsroom