The Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, Paul Apraku Twum Barimah has charged the COVID-19 task force to begin arresting and prosecuting persons who continue to flout the President’s directive for curbing the pandemic, especially at events.
According to him, such arrests and prosecutions will deter people from flouting the COVID-19 safety protocols at funerals and other events.
“If we fail to strictly adhere to the laid down rules and COVID-19 protocols, the nation is likely to experience continuous increases in the COVID cases. COVID-19 is now spreading beyond imagination, and there is a need to tackle it head-on. Strictly adhering to the protocol is key, and there ought to be strict enforcement to help reduce the increasing rate.”
“Over the weekend I visited some places, and I was shocked to realise that many people had organised events beyond the two-hour duration. In addition to that, most people were not wearing nose masks, people were shaking hands and hugging each other. This is not good for us. I think the COVID-19 task force ought to be proactive and punish people who flout the law, to bring progress and reduce the rate of COVID-19 infections in the country,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo last month issued directives stating that all funerals should not exceed two hours and only family members should be allowed to attend one-week funeral celebrations.
The President also banned all post-event receptions.
The directive came in at a time the nation is grappling with surging cases of Covid-19, which has surpassed 100,000.
The President further directed that all funeral gatherings should be conducted in an open space and under strict adherence to the Covid-19 regulations.
Despite the directive, Ghanaians continue to flout the rules based on the fact that the rules have been relaxed by the task force.