COVID-19, Ghana: Government begins to provide food for up to four hundred thousand vulnerable people.
The Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Local Government, Rural Development, and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), have begun to provide food for up to four hundred thousand (400,000) individuals and homes in the affected areas of the restrictions. President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo in his fifth address to the nation said, government is working on this initiative with MMDCEs and faith-based organizations to fight coronavirus. He added that the exercise begun in Accra on 5th April 2020, and will begin in Kumasi tomorrow. Dry food packages and hot meals will be delivered to vulnerable communities in Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa.
The president of the Republic of Ghana said, he has directed the Minister for Finance to send to Parliament the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP). CAP’s aims at protecting households and livelihoods, support micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, minimise job losses, and source additional funding for promotion of industries to shore up and expand industrial output for domestic consumption and exports.
To support this initiative, Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) will be supporting people in the James Town community, with food, hand sanitizers and face masks. SCEF will also be providing veronica buckets with soap and water at various spots in James Town. This initiative is to sensitize the people in Jamestown:
- On the coronavirus
- On the essence of staying at home
- On the essence of practicing social distancing.
Speaking on efforts to make all Ghanaians comfortable in this difficult times, the Government has directed the Ghana Water Company Ltd and the Electricity Company of Ghana to ensure the stable supply of water and electricity during this period. In addition, there will be no disconnection of supply. Furthermore, Government will absorb the water bills for all Ghanaians for the next three months, i.e. April, May and June. All water tankers, publicly and privately-owned, are also going to be mobilised to ensure the supply of water to all vulnerable communities.
President Akufo-Addo on Friday, 27th March, 2020 announced a two-week restriction of movement in 40 localities in the Greater Accra region and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan area starting on Monday, March 30, 2020. The decision, imposed under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020, is part of stricter measures to contain and halt the spread of the COVID-19 in the country, especially in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi, which have been identified as hotspots of the infection.
