ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
Fellow Ghanaians, as at today, Sunday, 31st May, under these measures, we have conducted two hundred and eighteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-five (218,425) tests; the number of positive cases stands at eight thousand and seventy (8,070); two thousand, nine hundred and forty-seven (2,947) persons have recovered; thirty-six (36) have sadly died; thirteen (13) persons are severely ill, with three (3) critically-ill for which (1) is on a ventilator; and five thousand and eighty-seven are responding to treatment at home, isolation centres and hospitals.
Our hospitalisation and death rates have been, persistently, very low, some of the lowest in Africa and in the world.
The Ghanaian people are not dying of the virus in the hundreds and thousands that were earlier anticipated, and that are being seen on a daily basis in some other countries.
Indeed, we are witnessing a much milder manifestation of the virus in the country, than was initially feared.
And, I dare say, that it is the grace of God, and the measures taken by Government that have produced this result.
Our ability to trace, test, and treat persons with the virus has improved considerably; we now have a large army of efficient contact tracers; we have expanded the number of testing facilities from two (2) to ten (10) across the country; and we have increased appreciably the number of quarantine, isolation and treatment centres.
We have lessened our dependence on foreign imports, and scaled up significantly domestic production and distribution of personal protective equipment to our healthcare workers, evidenced in the provision of four million, four hundred and forty thousand, six hundred and ninety (4,440,690) gloves; three million, five hundred and twenty four thousand, two hundred and five (3,524,205) nose masks; sixty two thousand, one hundred and ninety-four (62,194) goggles; one hundred and nine thousand, eight hundred and twenty-nine (109,829) litres of sanitizers; eighty five thousand, nine hundred and ninety-five (85,995) head covers; eighty two thousand, six hundred and fifty-five (82,655) gowns; fifty three thousand, five hundred and seventeen (53,517) medical scrubs; and forty three thousand, six hundred and thirty-three (43,633) N-95 face masks.
As I have already said, everything that has been achieved, so far, would not have been possible without the strong co-operation of you, the Ghanaian people.
I know, at firsthand, the devasting impact the measures employed to defeat the virus has had on our social, religious, cultural and economic lives, as well as on our jobs, and the education of our children, and yet, because of love of country, we have borne with them.
I know, however, that we cannot live with these restrictions forever, and that it is imperative we find a safe way to return our lives to normality, as other nations across the globe are trying to do.
This has informed the stakeholder consultations that have occured over the last few weeks with entities in the health, labour, religious, chieftaincy, educational, hospitality, transport, sports, tourism and creative arts sectors.
These consultations have hinged on an analysis of the data gathered and the adoption of best practices and experiences of other countries that have attempted to move on in the wake of the pandemic.
A consensus has emerged from these consultations that we should embark on a strategic, controlled, progressive, safe easing of restrictions to get our lives and economy back to normal.
As I stated in my May Day address, a month ago, I am now in a position to outline the roadmap for easing safely the restrictions.
Ours is going to be a phased approach, involving a selected list of public gatherings, based on their risk profile, socio-economic impact, and, most importantly, our capacity to enforce and to respond, in the event of a flair up in our number of infections.
So, fellow Ghanaians, with effect from Friday, 5th June, we will begin Stage One of the process of easing restrictions.
An abridged format for religious services can commence.
Twenty-five percent (25%) attendance, with a maximum number of one hundred (100) congregants, can worship at a time in church or at the mosque, with a mandatory one metre rule of social distancing between congregants.
In addition to the mandatory wearing of masks for all persons at all times in churches and mosques, a register of names and contact details of all worshippers and hand washing facilities and sanitisers must be provided, with a maximum duration of one (1) hour for each service.
Religious institutions that are desirous of opening their premises to their members, such as churches, mosques and others, must disinfect, fumigate and put in place the requisite logistics needed to guarantee safe opening and operation.
They must work with the designated, regulatory bodies and undertake test runs of the protocols I have outlined.
I would appeal to them, in the case of Christians, on the first Sunday of re-opening, i.e.
7th June, in the case of the Adventists, Saturday, 6th June, and in the case of Muslims, on the first Friday, i.e.
Ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah on 5th June, to dedicate their worship to prayers for the nation in these challenging times.
The Minister for Religious Affairs, will, tomorrow, Monday, 1st June, outline, in detail, the specific guidelines for the safe reopening of our churches and mosques.
From Monday, 15th June, 2020, the decision has been taken, after engagement with the Teacher Unions, whose co-operation I salute, to re-open schools and universities to allow for final year junior high, senior high and university students to resume classes ahead of the conduct of their respective exit examinations.
Indeed, final year university students are to report to their universities on 15th June; final year senior high school (SHS 3) students, together with SHS 2 Gold Track students, on 22nd June; and final year junior high school (JHS 3) students on 29th June.
JHS 3 classes will comprise a maximum of thirty (30) students; SHS classes a maximum of twenty-five (25) students; and University lectures will take place with half the class sizes.
All final year students of educational and training institutions, which are being managed by Ministries other than the Education Ministry, are to return to school on 15th June to complete their exit examinations.
Again, prior to the opening of schools and universities, the Ministry of Education, and the heads of public and private educational institutions, will fumigate and disinfect their institutions.
Each student, teacher, and non-teaching staff will be provided with re-usable face masks by the Ministry of Education.
For the avoidance of doubt, all other educational facilities, private and public, for non-final year students, will remain closed.
The Minister for Education, in the coming days, will outline, in detail, the specific guidelines for the safe reopening of our schools and universities.
Private burials, now with a maximum of one hundred (100) persons, can continue to be performed.
Restaurants, providing seated services, can operate under appropriate social distancing arrangements and hygiene protocols.
Individual, non-contact sports can go ahead.
Conferences, workshops, weddings, and political activities, except rallies, can now take place, but with limited numbers not exceeding one hundred (100) persons present, with the appropriate social distancing and hygiene protocols.
Market places, work places, public transport, and constitutional and statutory bodies such as the Electoral Commission, the National Commission for Civic Education and the National Identification Authority, whose activities were exempted from the outset from these restrictions, must conduct their activities in accordance with social distancing and the necessary hygiene and safety protocols.
Whilst we step up public education of the protocols on public gatherings, let me also state that regulatory agencies will undertake random checks to ensure conformity with these rules, and the security services will be tasked to enforce them.
Should any institution fail to adhere to these directives, its activity will be immediately prohibited, and relevant sanctions applied.
I have, by Executive Instrument, provided for these new directions, and extended the suspension of the remaining public gatherings, as set out in E.I.
64 of 15th March, until 31st July.
In here, I refer to the suspension of sporting events, nightclubs, cinemas, drinking spots, bars, beaches, festivals, funerals, political rallies, and large religious gatherings such as crusades, pilgrimages and conventions.
Our border, by air, land and sea, remains closed until further notice for human traffic.
However, given that there are Ghana residents stranded abroad, special dispensation is going to be given for their evacuation back to Ghana, where they will be subjected to the mandatory quarantine and safety protocols.
Fellow Ghanaians, it is said that with greater freedom comes greater responsibility.
The introduction of this phased opening up of our country means that each and every one of us must continue to remain vigilant, and respect the enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols that have become part and parcel of our daily routine over the last three (3) months.
We cannot afford to let our guard down, and ruin the successes we have chalked over this period.
Yes, there exists the possibility of a potential surge in infections.
As a precautionary measure, we have strengthened further our existing national, regional and district response teams, with the support of the security forces, to step up to deal with any eventuality.
Over recent weeks, we have learnt from the cases at the fish processing plant in Tema, and in the Obuasi municipality, how to deal with such sudden spikes.
We will continue to learn, review and adjust where and when we need to do so.
We will only proceed with this staggered opening up of our country when it is safe to do so.
Fellow Ghanaians, now, more than ever, we must adhere to enhanced personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, wash our hands with soap under running water, refrain from shaking hands, and wear our masks whenever we leave our homes.
In the Ghanaian context, it has been established that the cases of comorbidity, i.e.
underlying health conditions, that are associated with almost all the COVID-related deaths, are mainly diabetes and hypertension.
The risk factors for these diseases are being overweight, eating refined foods, too much salt and sugar in meals, inadequate physical exercise, excessive alcohol intake, and smoking.
It is, thus, crucial that we improve our fitness levels, and adopt healthy eating practices that incorporate our local food stuffs, which boost our immune systems.
Persons with these diseases must take extra precautions, and take their treatment seriously.
I am calling upon the Ministry of Information, the National Commission for Civic Education and the media to intensify public education of these protocols and directions.
I entreat all religious, traditional, community and opinion leaders to continue to partner with government in engaging, mobilising and enforcing adherence to social distancing and personal hygiene practices in their respective communities.
Fellow Ghanaians, as I stated in my fifth (5th) address to the nation, we will protect people’s lives, then their livelihoods.
It is this principle that guided the decision to impose restrictions, and continues to guide me today.
The fact of the matter is that the measures we have taken appear, by the grace of God, to be working, our healthcare system is, so far, not overwhelmed, and, you, the Ghanaian people, have largely embraced the principles of social distancing, the wearing of masks, and the enhanced hygiene protocols, which are our most effective defences against the virus.
We have learnt many lessons from this pandemic.
The most obvious is that we have to fortify urgently our public health system.
We have committed to the implementation of ‘Agenda 88’, that is building, within a year, a fully-equipped, functional district hospital for each district that does not have one, and a fully-equipped, functional regional hospital for each of the new regions, together with a new regional hospital for the Western Region, and the rehabilitation of Effia Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi.
We have to empower and increase the number of our healthcare professionals across board.
Universal Health Coverage must become reality for all Ghanaians, not a slogan, for every Ghanaian deserves good health and good healthcare.
We need to focus our energies on ensuring access of poor people to decent housing.
We can no longer ignore this basic requirement of social justice.
We have to make the things we use, and grow the foods we eat.
We have to come out of this crisis better, stronger and more united than before.
Ghana, free, united, socially just, self-reliant and productive, that is the Ghana we are going to create together after we have defeated this virus.
Fellow Ghanaians, ultimately, the Battle is the Lord’s, and, with faith in Him, we will emerge from this greater than before.
We are one people, we are Ghanaians, and we stand together in joy and in times of trouble.
We are a people with an exceptional history, and we are the proud promoters of the Black Star of Africa.
We have all gone down together, we should all rise together.
I thank you for your attention and have a good night.
Fellow Ghanaians, good evening, Today, Sunday, April 19, is exactly three weeks since I came to you and announced the imposition of restrictions to movement in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts.
I explained, at the time, that the decision was taken to give Government the opportunity to try to contain the spread of the virus, scale-up effectively the tracing of persons who had come into contact with infected persons, test them for the virus, and, if necessary, quarantine and isolate them for treatment, should they prove to be positive for the virus.
This decision to restrict movement has occasioned a number of severe difficulties for all of us across the country, especially for the poor and vulnerable, and not only for those resident in the affected areas.
Let me express my gratitude to all of you for bearing with Government, all health workers, and with members of our security services, throughout this period.
I requested all of us to sacrifice for our collective good, and we have been doing just that.
I thank all our healthcare workers, the men and women of our security services, and members of the media, for the work they are doing in helping to combat the spread of the virus.
Let me also thank the individuals and organisations who have made contributions to the COVID-19 National Trust Fund.
It is truly appreciated.
Fellow Ghanaians, since the first two cases of infections, were recorded on our shores, we have, till date, traced some 86,000 contacts, out of which we have test results of 68,591 contacts.
There is, thus, a backlog of some 18,000 tests whose results are yet to be received.
The overwhelming majority of these contacts have been established in the last three weeks of the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi.
Out of this number, one thousand and forty-two (1,042) persons, i.e.
1.5%, have been confirmed as positive, with 67,549 i.e.
98.5%, testing negative; 99 persons have recovered and have been discharged; and 930 persons, who have been isolated, are responding to treatment either in their homes or in treatment facilities.
These 930 persons, after their treatment, will soon undergo the mandatory two tests to determine if they have also recovered from the virus or otherwise.
The main reason our country has seen an increase in the number of confirmed cases over the last three weeks is because of the decision we took aggressively to trace and test contacts of infected persons.
This has enabled us to identify and isolate infected persons, protect the population from further infections, and contain better the spread of the virus.
Indeed, Ghana is the only other country in Africa to have conducted more than sixty thousand tests, and we are ranked number one in Africa in administering tests per million people.
The decision to impose restrictions on movement was backed by the data at hand, and our next course of action, again, is backed by data and by science.
Indeed, all that Government is doing is intended to achieve five key objectives – limit and stop the importation of the virus; contain its spread; provide adequate care for the sick; limit the impact of the virus on social and economic life; and inspire the expansion of our domestic capability and deepen our self-reliance.
It is important to state, at the very onset, that scientists at the University of Ghana have successfully sequenced genomes of the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining important information about the genetic composition of viral strains in 15 of the confirmed cases in Ghana.
This is a significant milestone in Ghana’s response to the pandemic, as it will strengthen surveillance for tracking mutations of the virus, and aid in the tracing of the sources of community infections in people with no known contact with confirmed cases.
The Ghanaian scientific community is to be warmly applauded for this advance and contribution to global knowledge.
Their work makes us proud to be Ghanaian, and, who knows, God may work through them to discover a vaccine.
What a triumph that would be!
Indeed, the recent genomic characterisation of African Coronaviruses by our own scientists illustrates the need to establish the enabling framework for sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
We must advance African-led partnerships to drive scientific innovations for the control of viral diseases by vaccination.
Ghana, recognising this critical public health tool, will support the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, which is chaired by Noguchi’s Prof William Ampofo, to promote the agenda for vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa by Africans for the world.
Government has also introduced the use of drones to expedite the transportation of samples to laboratory centres.
On Friday, April 17, for example, 51 samples were delivered from the Omenako Drone Distribution Centre to Noguchi.
Furthermore, we are introducing rapid results testing to augment our surveillance and enhanced contact tracing efforts, so that we can quickly isolate and treat confirmed cases.
From the 68,591 samples tested, we have been able to understand better the dynamism of the virus, map out its geographic footprint, and establish current and potential hotspots.
We have also been able to isolate and educate asymptomatic carriers, and, thereby, help minimise the spread of the virus.
So far, it has been established that the virus was imported into our midst from foreign shores, and is being spread through person to person contact.
The majority of persons infected in Ghana have mild to no symptoms at all, whilst a very small number have required hospital treatment, out of which nine persons, with underlying ailments, have died.
Towards treatment, we have expanded and added to our network of COVID19 treatment centres, with the Ga East and Bank of Ghana Hospitals being 100% dedicated to the fight.
In addition, we have set aside separate COVID-19 treatment centres at the University of Ghana Medical School Hospital, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi South Hospital, and in other designated Regional and District Hospitals.
Last Friday, I was honoured to do the virtual sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a 100-bed Infectious Disease and Isolation Facility at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, which is being funded through a public-private partnership, under the leadership of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund., and whose construction, with the assistance of the 48-Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, will be completed in six weeks.
Members of the Private Sector Fund have, indeed, acted like citizens, and not spectators, in these testing times for our country, and their patriotism is to be loudly praised.
We have also scaled up the domestic production of personal protective equipment, and our health care facilities, so far, have taken delivery of 14,550 scrubs, 11,900 gowns, 19,980 headcovers, 263,281 nose masks, 13,002 N-95 nose masks.
Some 41,117 varying sizes of sanitizers have also been produced locally and delivered to our health facilities.
The enhancement of our capacity to test has been made possible by the dedication of the expanded teams at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, and the National Public Health Reference Laboratory.
Further, we are making significant investments in the laboratories at the Veterinary Laboratory, Accra, the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research Laboratory, Accra, the Police Hospital, the 37 Military Hospitals, the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, the Veterinary Services Department in Sekondi-Takoradi, the Public Health Laboratory in Tamale, the War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo and the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, so they can also use PCR Technology.
We are recalibrating 100 Regional and District Tuberculosis Gene Expert Laboratories across the country, to help ensure that we have a minimum situation of one testing centre per region.
Fellow Ghanaians, in view of our ability to undertake aggressive contact tracing of infected persons, the enhancement of our capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of our treatment and isolation centres, our better understanding of the dynamism of the virus, the ramping up of our domestic capacity to produce our own personal protective equipment, sanitisers and medicines, the modest successes chalked at containing the spread of the virus in Accra and Kumasi, and the severe impact on the poor and vulnerable, I have taken the decision to lift the three week old restriction on movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa, and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts, with effect from 1am on Monday, 20th April.
In effect, tomorrow will see the partial lockdown in Accra and Kumasi being lifted.
I must make it clear, at the outset, that lifting these restrictions does not mean we are letting our guard down.
All other measures are still firmly in place.
For the avoidance of doubt, the earlier measures announced on Wednesday, 15th March, which have been extended, are still very much in force, and have not been relaxed.
I am demanding even greater adherence to these measures.
In here, I am referring to the suspension of all public gatherings, including conferences, workshops, funerals, parties, nightclubs, drinking spots, beaches, festivals, political rallies, religious activities and sporting events.
All educational facilities, private and public, are to remain closed.
Businesses and other workplaces can continue to operate, observing staff management and workplace protocols with the view to achieving social distancing and hygiene protocols.
Operators of public transport, including our buses, trotros and taxis, are to continue to run with a minimum number of passengers, as they have been doing for the last three weeks in maintaining social distancing.
They must also continue to ensure the maintenance of enhanced hygienic conditions in all vehicles and terminals, by providing, amongst others, hand sanitizers, running water and soap for washing of hands.
Domestic airlines are required to adhere to the same protocols.
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, together with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, will continue to implement measures to enhance conditions of hygiene in markets across the country, and expand the policy of alternate-days-for-alternative-products to improve social distancing in all markets.
As has been established, the overwhelming majority of confirmed cases have come from travellers or from people who have come into contact with travellers.