The Bureau of Public Safety is asking the government to impose a 21-day lockdown on all sixteen regions.
This comes after the sudden hike in the number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the country.
The country’s current case count stands at 378, with six deaths and three recoveries so far.
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In order to curb the spread of the virus, the government had imposed a two-week partial lockdown on Accra and Kumasi, the country’s epicentres of the disease. This has even been extended by an additional week, as directed by President Akufo-Addo.
But the Bureau, in a statement said, “If the President and the Response Team do not take further bold and radical steps, all the good efforts applied will come to nought and eventually our country will be consumed by this ravaging novel virus.”
It is, therefore, asking that the President extends the lockdown to the other regions in the country as soon as possible.
The statement also added that the government must “gear up tracing and testing capacity and effort, apply more efforts at education and effective monitoring of traced contacts and suspected cases to minimize frequent escapes from isolation centres and enhance compliance to medical advice and expand testing sites across all 16 regions within the shortest possible time.”
Though the Bureau of Public Safety said it is “inspired by the periodic updates of the President”, it expressed worry in the measures taken so far in relation to the order of restricted movement and
the overall appreciation of data regarding the emergence or spread of infections across the country”.
It, therefore, urged the general public “to join in the call for the extension of restricted movements across the country and support Government in these trying times”.
Prior to the announcement of a partial lockdown, the Bureau of Public Safety had called for the “immediate lockdown” of Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions for at least 21 days.
At that time, the country had only 24 cases of the novel coronavirus.
The Bureau also called for the lockdown of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and all All Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Extension of lockdown
Government has extended the lockdown imposed on some parts of the country by one more week.
The extension which takes effect from Monday, April 13, 2020 will be subject to review.
“The decision has been taken through the issuance of another executive instrument to extend the restriction of movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts by one more week beginning 1 am on Monday the 13th of April, subject to review,” the President said.
The decision was aimed at among others assisting the government enhance its contact tracing and testing efforts.
