This was confirmed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, during an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.
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Coronavirus: Gov’t seeks law to punish those who flout ban of public gathering
The Attorney General is seeking an emergency legislation from Parliament to punish persons or groups who flout the ban on all public gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
File Photo
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He explained that, when the legislation is approved, persons who flout the ban on public gatherings will be subjected to legal functions.
“For the large social gathering, we want to ensure that, people desist from such gatherings and back it with the legal functions. That is why the Attorney General is going to Parliament to request legal sanctions for persons who do not observe these functions,” the Minister said.
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“The consideration of the President is that it is better to take the pinch now for the next 14 to 21 days and prevent the spread than allow it to escalate and prevent community spread that will lead to a lockdown of the society.”
On Sunday, President Akufo-Addo announced measures to ensure that the virus does not spread further in the country.
This comes after the number of coronavirus cases in Ghana increased from two to six within the space of three days.
This has led to some travel restrictions into the country, with President Akufo-Addo announcing a ban on all social gatherings and sporting activities.
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The President also ordered an indefinite closure of educational institutions from today, Monday, March 16, 2020.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah stressed that halting mass gatherings is key to ensuring that the coronavirus does not escalate further.
“The learning from other parts of the world is that countries that delay in halting mass gatherings have a very high risk of escalating the spread of the virus in a very short time. The major challenge in this pandemic is community spread,” he noted.
“So we have to be able to isolate the few imported cases quickly and ensure that, they don’t interact with the general population. But, if we delay in opening a down on major public gathering and allow the population to interact over and over again. In about 14 days after the first case, we will be getting about 300 or 500 cases.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health says it has traced over 150 persons who have had contacts with the infected persons.
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