The Ghana Police Service has indicated that persons who flout restrictions imposed on parts of the country to contain the coronavirus outbreak risk being prosecuted.
Director in-charge of Legal and Prosecution of the Ghana Police Service in Greater Accra, ACP Lydia Donkor said persons caught flouting the directive to stay at home will either pay a penalty ranging between GHS12,000 to GHS 60,000, or serve a jail term from four to ten years.
“I must say that a penalty unit is GHS12 so if you are found guilty, you are likely to pay a fine ranging from GHS12,000 to GHS60,000 or serve a term of imprisonment from four to ten years or both. The message is simple. When you are arrested and found guilty, the laws will be enforced. So my advice is; stay home, stop the spread and let us stay safe,” ACP Lydia Donkor explained.
Nine new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ghana on Thursday, April 02, 2020, increasing the country’s total case count to 204.
This was confirmed in an April 2, 2020 update by the Ghana Health Service.
All the cases were confirmed in the Greater Accra Region.
Several measures including the closure of all the country’s borders, mandatory quarantine of travellers, ban on public gatherings and closure of educational institutions among others are still in force in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the lockdown as an additional means of combating the disease which experts say may escalate if drastic measures are not adopted now.
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus.
It was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has spread to other parts of the world including Ghana.
The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing.
The virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (generated through coughing and sneezing), and touching surfaces contaminated with the virus.
Currently, there is no specific medicine to prevent or treat coronavirus disease. Health experts have advised people to wash their hands frequently with soap, avoid touching the face and staying about 1 meter or 3 feet away from other people.
