Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Others Donate 50% Of Salaries Into The Covid-19 Fund

All Ministers of State, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, the deputy Chiefs of Staff, Secretary to the President, Secretary to the Cabinet, Presidential Staffers and Presidential Aides at the Presidency have decided to donate fifty percent (50%) of their salaries, for the next three months, i.e. April, May and June, to the COVID-19 National Trust Fund, established by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the fight against the virus and to assist in the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable.

All Deputy Ministers have also agreed to donate fifty percent (50%) of their salaries for the next two months, i.e. April and May, into the Fund.

As a result, the Chief of Staff, Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has notified the Controller and Accountant General to effect these deductions at source for the period, and transfer the accrued monies into the Fund.

It will be recalled that during his broadcast to the nation on Friday, 27th March, 2020, President Akufo-Addo announced the setting up of the Fund, and donated his next three months’ salary into the Fund as seed capital.

The Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also followed suit, and has donated three (3) months of his salary into the Fund.

COVID-19 cases in Ghana hit 152

Ghana’s case count for COVID-19 has increased to 152 as of Sunday, March 29, 2020. This followed the confirmation of 11 new cases by the Ghana Health Service.

Ten (10) of the new cases were among persons who were under mandatory quarantine in Tamale under the direction of the Regional Security Committee of the Northern Region.

The 10 cases involved Guinean residents who travelled through Burkina Faso and Togo to Ghana and were picked following intelligence report.

The eleventh case was recorded in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The 10 Guineans are currently asymptomatic; yet to show signs of COVID-19, but the government says it is collaborating with the relevant authorities in the West African sub-region to send them back to their home country for treatment.

The 10 Guineans who were confirmed COVID-19 positive in Ghana arrived in the country before President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directive for the closure of Ghana’s land, sea and air borders.

The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah made the announcement at the press conference on Sunday where he said the Guineans will be sent back to their home country for treatment.

“The information I have is that the Ghanaian and other West African authorities are completing arrangements so that they can be repatriated to their county of origin so that treatment to take place there. So they will not be treated in this jurisdiction,” he said.