Coronavirus: Let’s Integrate Traditional Authorities In The Efforts To Mitigate The Effects Of The Pandemic – Ofosu Ampofo Suggests

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The National chairman for the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has opined that if really the nation wants community actions to suppress the scare and spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, there is therefore the need to integrate community leaders and traditional authorities in efforts to mitigate the effects of the deadly covid-19.

According to the National chairman, the traditional authorities also have a role to play and are better understood especially in times like this in their communities, therefore the need to make them execute their roles.

In his presentation at the presidency(jubilee house) on friday April 3 2020, at the political parties dialogue aimed at deliberating on how to contain, delay and control the pandemic, and monitored by Radio1News, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo representing the NDC party stated that indeed the community leaders and traditional authorities can not be left out especially in these crises.

He could not fathom why the assembly of Ejisu asked some potters to return to Accra as they attempted to escape the lock down when he believes the assembly together with the traditional authorities could have contained them if systems were right.

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“His Excellency, a situation where people who are fleeing from Accra would be met by the municipal chief executive at Ejisu and be asked to come back is not a healthy situation. We believe that if we had structures and systems in place, the district’s response team should have put in measures to maintain them, provide them shelter, test them so that their movement to and from Accra could have been averted”- chairman Ofosu Ampofo said.

With his experience in local governance, he added that he is aware there are representatives of the regional house of chiefs at the regional coordinating councils and therefore urged they (chiefs) are given roles to help arrest the deadly coronavirus.

“I don’t know whether the regional coordinating councils have met but if you look at the composition of the regional coordinating councils, they are made up of two representatives from each of the regional house of chiefs. And indeed if we want a community action, the community leaders and traditional authorities have their roles to play. For that matter our suggestion is we need to integrate our community, leaders and traditional authorities in the efforts to mitigate the effects of the pandemic” – Ofosu Ampofo added.

The National chairman, together with Prosper Bani (Chairman of NDC’s Covid-19 response team) together with a member of the response team represented the NDC and flagbearer of NDC, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

Various leaders of the other political parties were also present for the all important meeting.

The experience leader thanked the president for the invite and pledged their support as in NDC for the fight against the pandemic coronavirus.

SITUATION UPDATE, CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN GHANA AS AT 04 APRIL 2020

Ghana has confirmed nine (9) additional COVID-19 cases; six (6) from Greater Accra and three (3) from Ashanti region.

Among the cases from Greater Accra, one is a 37-year-old woman with no history of travel nor contact with a confirmed case. One is a repeat test of a traveller under quarantine who was initially negative but converted to positive on repeat test. Four ae contacts of confirmed cases with no symptoms and were detected during the enhanced contact tracing and testing.

Of the three (3) cases from Ashanti region, two (2) are Ghanaians who travelled to Ghana from France within the past 14 days and the third one is a Ghanaian who has no history of travel out of the country nor contact with a any confirmed case.

As at 4 th April 2020, Ghana has recorded a total of 214 cases of COVID-19 with five (5) deaths. Currently, the number of regions reporting cases are as follows: Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Upper West Eastern and Upper East Region. The Greater Accra Region has most cases (189) followed by the Ashanti Region (12), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1) and Upper East Region (1).

Most of the cases are reported from routine / enhanced surveillance activities. Cases from travellers under mandatory quarantine are 90.

All five (5) deaths had underlying chronic medical conditions prior to COVID-19 infection