Members of Parliament observed the national day of fasting and prayer with a series of Christian and Islamic prayers in the House.
This was in response to the President’s appeal for Ghanaians to join hands in prayer and fasting for God’s intervention in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The prayers centred on thanksgiving, forgiveness, protection for frontline health staff and families.
“We are praying, clinging and hanging on the premises of God that when we seek your face and we ask, you will give unto us. You say if we knock, it will be opened. If we seek, we will find. So at this moment my God, we are praying that you will remember us and that you will not turn your face from us,” the Speaker of the House, Prof. Mike Oquaye prayed.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu continued, “And I refer to Qur’an 2:155 which states that ‘and we most certainly try him with some sort of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits and good news to the patient’. Allah, we are your patient people asking for your protection, forgiveness and grace.”
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu also joined in by saying, “In the face of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ghana and the rapidity of the spreads, we acknowledge we are not in normal times and we recognize our nakedness. In times of adversity, we must do serious retrospection and recognize our deficiencies as human beings.”
Background
President Nana Akufo-Addo declared Wednesday, March 25 as a national day of fasting and prayer during his third national address over the weekend to update citizens on measures taken to tackle the outbreak of the disease in the country,
In that address on Saturday, March 21, 2020, he pleaded with Ghanaians to pray whilst adhering to the measures outlined to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
“Whilst we continue to adhere to these measures and ramp up our efforts to defeat this virus, I urge all of us also to seek the face of the Almighty. So on Wednesday, 25th March 2020, I appeal to all Ghanaians – Christians and Muslims to observe a national day of fasting and prayer. Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic,” he said.
Current case count
As at Wednesday morning [March 25], the total case count of the coronavirus in Ghana was 68, with two deaths.
15 new cases of the virus were confirmed in the morning.
The number is made up of 12 persons who were part of others mandatorily quarantined by the government and three other persons already in the country.
“The sudden spike in case incidence is as a result of the mandatory quarantine and compulsory testing for all travellers entering Ghana, as directed by the President,” the Ghana Health Service reported.
