Approximately 8,000 police officers who were drafted to the streets to help fight Covid-19 by enforcing the lockdown decree are at risk of being infected. They have been asked to self-quarantine to ascertain their coronavirus status.
The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Supt. Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman confirmed this order for self-quarantine of the officers.
“The prime object of the Police is for the Police officers to be well before we can carry out our duties. So for Accra, Kumasi, Tema, and Kumasi, we are looking at not less than 8,000 officers to self-quarantine,” Supt.Abayie-Buckman told Accra-based Citi FM.
“The Police Hospital has begun taking their samples but the samples are not tested by them but they have a strategy to take their samples. The Police Hospital has its headquarters in Accra but it still has a lot of regional clinics all across the country,” she added.
It is yet unclear how many of the law enforcement officers would come down with the dreaded disease as their samples get fed into the testing conveyor belt of the Noguchi Memorial Medical Research Centre.
Meanwhile, while on duty for the three-week lockdown, the security agencies arrested some 800 individuals who reportedly breached lockdown restrictions. Many of them are facing heavy fines and jail terms.
“The number of cases in the court stood at 127 and the number of persons involved in these cases was 810 so out of these, 458 were granted bail by the various courts and the people who were convicted stood at 54. I am sure you heard about the conviction of people who were throwing a party yesterday. So these are part of those arrested,” The Police PRO said.