Ghana’s Health Minister in hospital with Covid-19

Ghana’s Health Minister has been hospitalized with coronavirus, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo announced yesterday in a national address.

Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu, aged 64, was wished a speedy recovery by the President, having contracted the disease ‘in the line of duty’.

Ghana’s government has now made wearing face coverings compulsory when out in public in an effort to limit the spread of the virus as the country eases out of lockdown.

Ghana has reported 12,000 cases of Covid-19 and has suffered 54 deaths. The number of cases is still rising, but the President has argued that this is in conjunction with higher rates of testing rather than a new wave of cases.

As of today, 250,000 tests have been carried out in a population of 30 million.

Schools have reopened this morning for students in their final year of education and religious gatherings can now resume with the adequate social distancing measures.

President Nana Akufo-Adda had been strongly supportive of lockdown measures in the early days of the pandemic. In a national address that went viral, he said "We know how to bring the economy back to life. What we do not know is how to bring people back to life."

Now, the economy of Ghana is at a standstill, but higher rates of testing are needed to reassure the public and the government that businesses are safe to reopen again.  

Photo: Graphic Online