Ghana: Angry residents chase out lockdown escapees

The four made up of a native of the community fled to seek refuge.

Their arrival in the community triggered agitations as residents fear they may infect them with coronavirus.

The agitations by the residents intensified as residents armed themselves with sticks, cutlass and clubs and threatened to attack the four escapees should they refuse to leave the community.

“We are all aware of this deadly disease which government has issued a directive that as a result, nobody should move to other region but we have a resident here called Emma but today we saw him receive three visitors from Accra that because of the lockdown they coming to stay with him. So we held an emergency meeting as a community and resolved that we cannot stay with them here so they should leave,” the Odikro of the Community Ohene Kwafo told Starr News.

Fortunately, the Municipal Chief Executive for Akuapem South, Frank Aidoo who was on an awareness campaign on COVID-19 coincidentally arrived in the community with his team and was able to calm down tempers.

The MCE gave the four persons money for transportation to travel back to Accra.

“We were on our usual routine to educate the villagers on COVID-19 and upon arrival, we were told that these gentlemen have actually sneaked into the village and that the villagers were up in arms and I will say that if we had not gone there it would have ended up in a lynching because they were quite angry”.

COVID-19 cases in Ghana have now jumped to 195, the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu announced April 1, 2020.

106 of the cases are from routine surveillance while cases from those on mandatory quarantine remain 89.

Majority of the cases are in the Greater Accra Region with 174. The Northern region has 10 cases while the Ashanti Region which is currently on lockdown has recorded 9 cases.

The Upper West Region and the Eastern have both recorded one case each.

According to the Health Minister, 38 people have recovered and discharged while another 49 are receiving treatment from home. Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana still stands at five.