Chairman of the Committed Drivers Association of Ghana Charles Danso
The Leadership of some Transport Unions have stated that they do not have the power to ensure passengers wear masks before they board their vehicles.
Although they can ensure that the drivers wear their masks and observe the safety protocols , they might not be able to stop passengers who do not wear masks from entering transport vehicles because most of the drivers are mostly eager to get the passengers on board.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, directed that all events associated with funerals and weddings be held in open air spaces with strict adherence to the COVID-19 health protocols.
He said this when he addressed the nation on measures being taken to contain the spread of the virus.
The President stressed that funerals, weddings and all social gatherings must not go beyond two hours and participants should avoid handshakes and restrict one-week funeral celebrations to solely family members.
President Akufo-Addo said data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), indicated that the nation was experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 infections, driven by the Delta Variant with increased transmissibility rates globally.
The Delta variant, which was first detected in India and easily transmissible, was first recorded in Ghana in April 2021 at the port of entry at the Kotoka International Airport.
The new variant in Ghana, has led to a rise in hospitalisation and Intensive Care Unit bed uptakes, and tragic deaths, which calls for urgent action.
The President said as at Wednesday, July 21, 2021, the GHS reported that the country’s total number of active cases stood at 4,094.
A total of 1,394,540 tests had been conducted, out of which 101,170 persons infected with the virus, and 96,255 persons recovered.
Some 36 more people have died from the virus over the last 10 weeks, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 819 since the onset of the pandemic with Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan areas remaining the hotspots of infections.
President Akufo-Addo urged businesses, workplaces and their owners and management to observe staff management and workplace protocols, such as the use of a shift system and technology, with the view to achieving social distancing and hygiene protocols.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, the Chairman of the Committed Drivers Association of Ghana Charles Danso said, “They are fighting for passengers, and if you get some you just can’t drive them away ? It is up to authorities to ensure everyone adheres to it because we do not have the power to ensure passengers wear it and we cannot also move empty.”
He said the laws are discriminatory such that some people are punished for flouting them while others are allowed to go scot-free.