Is COVID On Break?

The presidential candidates of the two leading political parties in the country appear to have thrown caution to the wind in respect of the fight against COVID-19.

Months ago the country was awake religiously observing to the letter all the protocols put in place.

But the as the 2020 December polls draw closer this same caution, the breach of some of which landed people in court is being blatantly flouted under the guise of political campaigns.

In his 17th address to the nation on measures the government has taken to redeem the country from the quagmire, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo extended the mandatory wearing of face masks by three months.

“So until 14th December 2020, the wearing on masks remain mandatory,” he announced. “It is the new norm of our existence until the virus disappears.”

Sadly, this directive was however ignored by many health workers during his recent 3-day tour of the Eastern Region.

This, certainly made nonsense his own call on the citizenry to strictly adhere to the preventive protocols as the country battles the Coronavirus pandemic to the extent that even frontline health workers are becoming culprits.

Like all other tours, he was received by a multitude, paying no heed to social distancing etiquette, thronged the roadside to catch a glimpse of the president’s tour amid cheers.

Surprisingly, the NPP’s 2020 flag bearer is not the only culprit in this flagrant breach of the COVID protocols but the NDC’s John Dramani Mahama as well.

It is no secret that Mr. Mahama is also putting his own life and that of some people at risk in respect of the mass of people who come out to meet his convoy.

A clear case in sight is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Aseda Election 2020 held in Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, and the launch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Dome-Kwabenya.

For us at THE NEW PUBLISHER these developments have caused us to wonder if the fight against Coronavirus will be won before long.

Although the statistics of the country as regards the pandemic is encouraging, we dare say that such unchecked behaviours is enough to reverse the gains so far made as a country.

Yes, our death rate continues to be low, and our hospitals have, mercifully, not been overwhelmed but let not let our guard down as a nation hoping to achieve a zero case mark.

Truth be told we cannot afford, at this critical moment, to throw caution to the wind, and destroy the incredible amount of work undertaken by Government, health officials, heroic frontline health workers, and members of the security agencies, in bringing us this far, COVID is definitely not on break….!