“We know how to bring the economy back to life,” Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said in late March. “What we do not know is how to bring people back to life.” Six weeks later, that comment — which made international headlines — is serving as a reminder of early steps the West African state took in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, positioning Ghana as an unlikely success story. Central to the country’s strategy was testing at-risk populations “early,” when they were “very often asymptomatic,” says the country’s information minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. “It’s easier to therefore assist them and get them out of the infection bracket so they recover early, so we don’t have pressure on hospitalization.” That success now faces its sternest test, after Ghana relaxed some restrictions in major cities late in April. Since then, the country has witnessed a spike in cases compared to its earlier numbers. Still, Ghana appears to be building on its early gains, even while relaxing lockdowns. It’s enforcing distancing between passengers on public transit, and last week introduced a “no mask, no entry” policy at all public and government buildings and offices. Meanwhile, it is exempting health care workers from taxes for three months and has waived the value-added tax on donations of equipment and items needed to tackle the pandemic.
SOURCE: OZY