Lockdown was enforced to collect information, data- Oppong Nkrumah

Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has given reasons for government’s decision to ease the lockdown rules in the country.
He refuted claims that government eased the partial lockdown placed on Accra, Kumasi, Tema and Kasoa to satisfy its selfish interest.
Government lifted the four-week lockdown after it said it had come to a better understanding of the rate of infection of the disease through an enhanced testing programme and the expansion of isolation and treatment centres.
Other restrictions like a ban on social gatherings and closure of schools will remain in force, while border crossings will stay shut for two more weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s Morning show “Ghana Nie” with host Ekourba Gyasi, Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the economy would have suffered if the lockdown was still in force.
He explained the President gave reasons for the imposition of the lockdown even before it took full force.
According to him, the President said the lock-down was to give public health professionals the opportunity to go after the virus in the various communities with the enforcement of the enhanced testing.
“The President eased the lock-down based on consultation driven by science and data. He did not lock the country due to the number of cases the country had recorded. After gathering the first set of data with infection rate pegged at 1.5 for the two-week lockdown, the health officials requested for an additional week to mop up the tests. After the additional week, the infection rate was at 1.58 which showed that the additional week did not change the data hence the decision to ease the lockdown”, Oppong Nkrumah said.
He argued that an extension of the lockdown would have brought an unimaginable economic crises on the people, especially the poor and marginalized community in the country.
 
 
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa