Two Nigeriens who were arrested by police officers during the lockdown period have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to police, the two, who were stopped while they were on board a taxi cab with their luggage, could not give tangible reasons for their movement, sparking suspicion hence their arrest.
Further investigations by police triggered a medical test on them at the Ridge Hospital.
Citi News‘ Umaru Sanda Amadu reported that, “on April 5, they [Police] found them moving with a taxi driver. The police noticed that there were inconsistencies in their answers. When asked where they were coming from, they said they came from Niger and had their luggage on them. The police took them into custody and then to the Police hospital and eventually to the Ridge Hospital where they had their samples taken.”
Their results came out COVID-19 positive.
“The police took them to a secluded holding area and on Saturday, [April 13] the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) returned with the result of their test and it turned out that they were positive,” he said.
Meanwhile, officials of the Ga East Municipal Hospital in Accra have picked up the two persons with an ambulance for treatment at the facility.
National outlook
A total of 566 novel coronavirus cases have so far been recorded in Ghana with eight deaths and four recoveries.
The Greater Accra Region has the most number of cases – 452; the Ashanti Region, 49; Eastern Region, 32; Northern Region, 10; Volta Region, nine; Upper West Region, seven; Upper East Region, four; North East Region, one; Western Region, one and the Central Region with one.
There is an ongoing enhanced contact tracing exercise that comes with the testing of many more people across the country.
So far, the process has resulted in the detection of several COVID-19 cases with the affected persons being taken into care.
