Electoral Commission Giving Coronavirus Fertile Ground For Spread

Whatsup News has gathered that the Electoral Commission (EC) has reportedly given directives to Regional and District Directors to begin mass interviews for applicants interested in becoming registration officers. This is in blatant disregard for the government’s ban on social gathering due to the deadly coronavirus (Covi-19).

Each interview centre will see up to 200 applicants on the scheduled interview date on Thursday 19, March 2020, sources say.

Apparently, the EC’s District and Regional Directors are not particularly enthused about the risk being thrust on them by the Jean Mensah-led EC headquarters, as they are reportedly bitterly complaining.

The Akufo Addo administration was forced to ban all public gathering exceeding 25 people after six Ghanaians officially tested positive to the ravaging global pandemic dubbed Covid-19. There are potentially more than 350 people possibly infected by the flu-like virus, having come in contact with the six confirmed cases.

The directive has affected Church congregations, Prayers in Mosques, Festivals, Events, parties among several other public gatherings characteristic of Ghana. The ban is expected to be maintained for four weeks, after which the result would inform the government to either extend or relax the social distancing measure.

The Electoral Commission is already in a dilemma as it would not be able to meet its April 18 schedule to compile the controversial new Voters Register due to the directives.

Also, earlier last week, there were reports of the possibility of the EC failing to take delivery of the new biometric system on schedule because Europe-based contractors for the mega overhaul of the Ghanaian biometric voting system have been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic as most European countries go into lockdown. Ghana has also warned foreigners that it “discourages” travelling to Ghana at the moment as the Covid-19 is likely going to be “imported” into Ghana uncontrollably if the Ghanaian border authorities don’t restrict entry into the country.

So far, more than 160,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and approximately 6,000 have died.