These service providers are exempted from the COVID-19 lockdown

• Posted on March 28, 2020March 28, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President Nana Akufo-Addo has imposed a two-week partial lockdown on Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi from Monday, March 30, 2020, 1 am.

These cities, which have been identified as the epicentres of the novel coronavirus in Ghana have been shut down as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

Ghana currently has a total number of 137 recorded cases, with four deaths and two recoveries.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, in a national address on Friday, March 27, 2020 stated that “effective 1 am on Monday, 30th March, some forty-eight hours from now, I have imposed, pursuant to the powers granted the President of the Republic, under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), restrictions on movement of persons in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA, which includes Awutu Senya East), and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, for a period of two (2) weeks, subject to review.”

He said the decision “will give us the opportunity to try to halt the spread of the virus, and scale-up effectively contact tracing of persons who have come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and, if necessary, quarantine and isolate them for treatment, should they prove to have the virus.”

He, however, made exemptions to this directive. Some essential service providers will not be forced to lock down.

The list of services to be exempted from the restrictions as announced by President Akufo-Addo are as follows:

• Members of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary;
• Production, distribution and marketing of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medicine, paper and plastic packages.
• Environmental and sanitation activities;
• VALCO staff
• Road and Railway construction workers;
• Mining workers;
• Fisherfolk;
• Members of the security agencies assigned lawful duties;
• The staff of electricity, water, telecommunications, e-commerce and digital service providers; and
• Fuel stations staff.

The Minister of Information subsequently took to Twitter to explain that the media is also part of those exempted from the restrictions.

By Ellen Dapaah