The President affirmed that, as at Friday, 18th September 2020, the number of active cases for the global pandemic in Ghana had reduced considerably to five hundred and seven (507) persons.

A total of forty five thousand two hundred and fifty-eight (45,258) persons have recovered and two hundred and ninety-seven (297) persons, a great majority of them with underlying illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic liver disease and asthma, have sadly died.

“Now more than ever, we must be even more disciplined in our adherence to the personal hygiene, mask wearing and social distancing measures that have become part of our daily lives. We have to continually exercise, patronise and eat our healthy Ghanaian foods to boost our immune system”. – The President appealed.

The mandatory wearing of face masks has been extended to the next three (3) months. Until 14th December 2020, the wearing of masks remains mandatory, and the law enforcement agencies will be required to ensure this directive is respected by all. – The President admonished.

 The President attested to the fact that, the improvement in the situation is due to the effectiveness of the measures put in place by Government, the co-operation and support of Ghanaians and most certainly, by the grace of God.  

The President cautioned everyone not to destroy the incredible amount of work undertaken by Government, health officials, heroic frontline health workers and the members of security agencies in bringing us this far irrespective of the fact that there are a lot of empty beds in both treatment and isolation centres.

 Prior to the closure of Kotoka International Airpot, flights to and fro Accra had commenced again, with sixteen airlines operating out of twenty three (23) airlines. As at Saturday, 19th September 2020, a total of ten thousand and sixty-one (10,061) passengers had been tested at Kotoka.-The President attested.

 In spite of the requirement that all passengers must be in possession of a negative PCR test result upon their arrival in Ghana a total of twenty-six (26) positive cases have been recorded from the tests at KIA.

Regarding education, on 5th September, final year students in the various Senior High Schools wrote their last paper of the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). Also, On Friday, 18th September, five hundred and thirty-one thousand, six hundred and seventy-four (531,674) junior high school final year students completed their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Prior to tertiary students, continuing students in the University of Cape Coast, the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Technical Universities, and some other Colleges have returned to school adhering to the said  protocols.

Towards the progressive easing of restrictions, Government has taken the decision to allow the resumption of training in all contact sports, taking into consideration the imminent participation of our national teams in international competitions. Indeed, some national teams have already been given the dispensation to begin training, ahead of their international engagements. All sports people, who are camped, are to be tested regularly. – The president asserted.

The President affirmed that, regarding football, after due consultations with the Ghana Football Association, it was decided that the Ghana Premier League and the Division One Football League will restart on Friday, 30th October, with a full regime of testing of the players, technical and management staff.

Spectators will not be allowed at the training centres, and, when actual competition resumes, seating at all stadia will be limited to twenty-five percent (25%) capacity to ensure social distancing. Wearing of masks by spectators at stadia will be mandatory.

The President admonished that borders, by land and sea, still remains closed to human traffic until further notice likewise beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs. Also, all other institutions that have been cleared to function are to continue to do so in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

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