COVID-19: Lifting Lockdown Now Will Cause More Harm – Health Economist Warns

Health Economist, Dr. Gordon Abeka-Nkrumah is cautioning against calls not to extend the lockdown in parts of the country.

Dr. Gordon Abeka-Nkrumah says Ghana is at its critical stage in the fight against the novel coronavirus and any move to remove the current restriction of movements will affect the progress made so far.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to address the nation this weekend on additional measures government is taking to curb the spread of the virus amidst calls for lockdown on Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi to be lifted.

But speaking on Citi FM/TV's news and current affairs programme, The Big Issue, Dr. Gordon Abeka Nkrumah said government must consider a number of factors before making such a decision.

“Lockdowns have economic gradients. So the best we can do is to make sure that, we get people to stay home in the next week or two. We make sure we ramp up tests and isolate people and then we can encourage the wearing of masks so that we can then come out. Because if we don't do that and we joke, what will happen is that, we may go back again and lockdown entirely in a way that we probably can not handled. We need to get a bit more firm and get this to work.”

Last week, government extended the lockdown imposed on some parts of the country by one more week.

The extension took effect from Monday, April 13, 2020, subject to review.

“The decision has been taken through the issuance of another executive instrument to extend the restriction of movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts by one more week beginning 1 am on Monday the 13th of April, subject to review,” the President said.

The decision was also aimed at assisting the government to enhance its contact tracing and testing efforts.

---citinewsroom