The Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta has said that it was necessary for government to discontinue the partial lockdown in some parts of the country because the economy currently would not sustain a prolonged lockdown.
According to him, a significant proportion of Ghanaians make up the informal sector who basically rely on daily wages for their upkeep and thus could not afford to be kept indoors any longer than the three-week period.
read also: Consider a second Lockdown of Covid-19 Hotspots – Dr Sylverken
“During the lockdown it was quite clear after a point that given the fact that 90% of our population is in the informal sector and go out each day to earn wages, it was becoming increasingly impossible to continue with such a policy,” he said.
check also: Oguaa Traditional Council Calls off 2020 Oguaa Fetu Afahye
President Akufo-Addo on Saturday March 28, 2020 announced a partial lockdown in parts of the Greater Accra region, parts of the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan area as well as the Ewutu Senya East district of the Central Region. This was to restrict movement of people to control the spread of the Covid19 pandemic in the country. Notwithstanding this and other measures as the directive on the wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the country has seen a spike in the spread of Covid19 from 141 confirmed cases just before lockdown to 5,127 cases three weeks after lockdown. With 22 recorded Covid19 deaths in the country, the pandemic is not only taking lives but also taking a toll on the economy. The minister earlier announced a likely “significant drop in the country’s revenue target for 2020 due to the decline in revenues from the ports, petroleum revenues as well as tax revenues”.
SOURCE: LYDIA SEKYI-ACQUAH/ATLFMNEWS
