Persons not vaccinated by 31st December to be denied access to public places

Dr Dacosta Aboagye, Director of Health Promotions at the Ghana Health Service has cautioned that persons who would not have been vaccinated by December 31 would not be permitted to engage in any public activity.

This will include going to work, except that the person would produce a negative PCR test result.

He therefore advised all Ghanaians to take advantage of the four weeks ultimatum given by the Ghana Health Service to get vaccinated.

He reiterated that “the President still chairs the COVID-19 Taskforce and so we are working with them to make sure that we put in place all the legal framework to restrict people from public places if they are not vaccinated”.

He said that the launch of the national vaccination month on Tuesday, November 30, would afford people in the security services, government and health workers, commercial drivers and their mates, students and staff in secondary and tertiary institutions the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Dr Aboagye told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that there are enough vaccines for everyone in Ghana as the government has successfully procured 12.3 million doses.

About five million people have received the first dose, 1.3 million are fully vaccinated, he said.

He said that the patronage in the COVID-19 vaccination had been good, but there must be a mandate to ensure the full commitment of every Ghanaian in order to attain herd immunity, which would ensure everyone in the country is protected.

“The patronage, based on the availability of the vaccines was good. But the point is that we have received all vaccines and this means that we also have to make sure that we set some mandates for the people to get vaccinated, we are all not safe until we are all vaccinated”, he said.

Dr Aboagye said that the Ghana Health Service had decentralised its services through the regional and district health directorates to set up their own centres, and also take the vaccines to the people.

He said the vaccination teams have been going to churches, lorry parks, market places, restaurants, football and other sporting events.

Dr Aboagye said the Ghana Health Service is engaging the relevant stakeholders, including the Ghana Football Association and the tourism sector, to ensure that anybody who has not gone for their jabs to their events nor premises.

On the new Covid-19 variant, he said the situation was being monitored closely at the Kotoka International Airport and land borders where there are existing protocols as travellers would be coming home for the festive season.

He said that the Public Services Commission and all government agencies including traditional leaders would be engaged to enforce the mandate to the letter, saying that Ghana Health Service would follow all legal remits within its purview.