Policy think tank, Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) has called for the suspension of the Ghana card registration exercise considering the confirmation of the coronavirus cases in Ghana.
A statement issued by the policy think tank wondered why the National Identification Authority (NIA) has failed to issue any statement on the matter.
The Director of Public Health at Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie has confirmed that about 151 persons have so far been exposed to patients with confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Ghana.
He gave the update on the status If the country today, Sunday, March 15, 2020.
Dr. Sarkodie explained that four new cases were confirmed by the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research and the Noguchi Research Institutes at various points between Friday and Saturday.
The new cases involving a 56-year-old who returned from the UK, a student who returned from the United States of America, a 42-year-old Ghanaian male who returned from Switzerland and the UK, a 41-year-old who returned from Turkey and Germany, though are currently in isolation and stable, have since their return to Ghana contacted various persons.
The breakdown indicated that 2 contacts have been established in the first case, 107 in the second, 12 in the third and some 30 others in the last and fourth new confirmed Coronavirus case.
In view of this, STRANEK believes that NIA must suspend the registration exercise.
Read below the full statement
For immediate release:
15.03.2020
Suspend Ghana Card registration forthwith - STRANEK-Africa
Amidst the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), STRANEK-Africa finds it mindboggling that the Ghana Card Registration exercise has not been put on hold whiles it is a trite fact that gathering of large numbers of people is one way to spread the pandemic virus.
Government of Ghana has ordered that all public activities should be suspended including foreign travels of public officials. The mode of operations from all sectors of the economy which involves large numbers have been deferred to avoid the spread of the deadly and contagious virus.
Most institutions are also putting measures in place to keep in check the outbreak. Measures such as thorough washing of hands, the use of sanitizers, other personal hygienic habits are being taken with the conscientization from World Health Organization to control the outbreak.
Why has the National Identification Authority (NIA) not issued any communique to suspend the registration exercise? STRANEK-Africa opines that the Ghana Card Registration exercise should not be an exception in terms of suspending its activities. There are long queues and congestion at the registration centres which can make the control of the spread of the virus very difficult if there is a contact with an infected person.
As H.E. Akufo-Addo postulated, we must all join in preventing the spread of the virus hence the NIA must suspend the registration exercise till further notice.
Once there is life, there is hope and the NIA should not toy around with the lives of the good people of this country in the name of doing everything possible to achieve its target for the year.
We wish to remind NIA to sanitize it’s equipment and other accoutrements after the suspension of the registration exercise as a drastic measure in stopping the outspread of the coronavirus.
With all hands on deck, we are confident that Ghana, Africa and the world shall overcome this pandemic just as it has done over the years passed.
We should all get involved in building our motherland.
Signed.
Nii Tettey Tetteh
Executive Director
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Well said @me man nkosoc. I thought and wandered why people would want to grab the least chance in this our nation to be heard or make a name. A whole policy tink tank and this is what you choose to do? Kindergarten pupils at this point know the NIA would take a decision. What school do these people go? Typical stomach and lazy poly tank. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MY FOOT AND BLACK AXSSX. Everything is cheap in this country including tink tanks.
***barred word***! Do you think you people are sensinbe than anyone in Ghana and so your advise must be taking urgently or what? Do you think thdy NIA dont know they have to stop if the need be but wait for a bogus think tank, stomch civil society to tell them to do something they are about to do? Why cant you people find work to do to help this country than this bogus thing youve established and getting money from the highest bidder, you all us*eless in Ghana ! I wish i hear such think tanks making noise in America ,Ghana a small country the size of Oregon state with too much noise and little action is ridiculous! Everyone from university is a think tank whether tzlkkng sense or sounding foo000*00lish call hkmself a think tank and want to be heard and want to give instructions to the government what a heck? They should rather choose to be elected to office and stop trying to be bigger than those elected by the people! Abufusem ! Why would they even choose to come out with this when they know NIA will stop ? that is my beef ! ***barred word*** biaa kasa wo Ghana why Is the country that cheap? Too much noise with little sense.LONG LIVE GHANA, LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT !!