-OVER IMPACT OF POLITICAL Events IN SPREADING COVID
The shocking death of the National Security Coordinator, Joshua Kyeremeh this morning, has put the Akufo Addo administration on the spot for its pre and post-election laxity in enforcing laws to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Mr. Kyremeh reportedly passed at the Ga East Hospital in Accra today Monday, January 18, 2020. According to Asaase Radio owned by President Akufo Addo’s right0hand0man Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Mr. Kyeremeh died of kidney complications at the hospital where he was receiving treatment for COVID-19.
Just a few hours before the announced death, the former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was attempting to parry blames heaped on Ghanaian politicians for blatantly disregarding safety protocols against COVID-19 when they were campaigning for political power run-up to election 2020.
In a radio interview on JoyNews this morning was claiming that “the science and data doesn’t support the assertion” that election activities can be blamed on the second wave of COVID-19 spread in Ghana.
In a rather curious rationalisation, Oppong Nkrumah claims political party events were not responsible for the new wave of infections, but rather social activities during the Christmas and New Year festivals, saying “most Ghanaians were reckless during the Yuletide”.
This view was a re-echoing of President Akufo Addo’s summation during his 22nd public address on Ghana’s Covid-19 situation.
Yet, civil society groups and medical professionals fruitlessly warned politicians during the election campaign period how dangerous it was massing up electorates during their political campaigns.
Most of these campaign rallies show widespread disregard for COVID-19 protocols of social distancing and wearing of nose masks in such public gatherings.
In fact, many of these politicians are guilty of breaching the protocols.
Meanwhile, Joshua Kyeremeh becomes the latest casualty in the latest number of death reportedly connected to COVID-19 in the past week.
Before becoming the Coordinator he had been a long-timer at the National Security establishment having worked there for 20 years.
As National Security Coordinator, he together with National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, came under a lot of flak over the shooting of unarmed civilians during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
He had also been receiving flak together with Kan Dapaah and Bryan Acheampong, Minister of State in charge of National Security had also received flack for the killing of eight civilians during the 2020 elections.