It is now compulsory to wear a face mask in Ghana

President Akufo-Addo has announced that it is now compulsory to wear a face mask due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. In a statement to the public, the president said that law enforcement agencies will ensure that the directive is followed. Ghana has a total of 11,964 coronavirus cases with 54 deaths.

According to president Akufo-Addo: “With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory. Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offense. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument.”

The president urged citizens to be more responsible for their lives. He added that as much as the government is doing its part, people needed also to play their part.

“Let me repeat: our survival is in our own hands. If we are lax and inattentive, we will continue to have serious challenges with the virus. If we are mindful and self-disciplined, we have it in us to defeat this pandemic and help return our lives to normalcy.

“I appeal to each and every one of you for your help in this regard. That is the surest way to realizing our collective vision of building a new Ghanaian civilization where the rule of law is not a slogan, but a directive principle of state development; where we deliver the social and economic transformation that has a meaningful impact on the lives of all our people…”

Ghana is currently marked as a hotspot by the World Health Organization because of the alarming rate at which the cases are rising.