Activist of the ruling New Patriotic Party and cousin to president Akuffo-Addo Gabby Otchere Darko has stated that a lockdown of the country would not be in the favour of the poor hence the government should stay away from it.
With the rate at which cases recorded in the country continue to rise many have called for the country to be locked down to prevent further spread of the virus.
The statesman has advised that we think of the poor in the society before any decision is taken since they would not be able to handle the situation the way the rich in the society would.
See post below.
The debate for and against a temporary lockdown in Ghana is sincere. But, let’s remember that a lockdown is not necessarily one size fits all; every society can design its own lockdown to fit its peculiar dynamics; except the goal is one: to stop the spread. Those against a lockdown make the point that Ghana is not like Europe. A lot of people here survive on hand-to-mouth, live in compounds houses, etc. Our markets are mainly not like Walmart or Sainsbury’s. Online sales are not common. A lockdown would hurt the poor badly. All very true. But, how else can we protect the masses from a virus that does not discriminate in its deadly widespread? How do we protect the poor if things get very bad?
