President Nana Akufo-Addo has instructed the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to conduct an economic impact assessment of potential lockdown measures on the country, according to the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

“The President has instructed the Minister responsible for Finance to build the economic impact assessment which he did about two or three weeks ago and even presented parts of it to Parliament,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said to the press on Wednesday afternoon.

“But he has also instructed him to work out the implications of any further measures on the economy and how to put in place economic measures, what people call a stimulus programme to ensure that these measures do not adversely hurt the economy.”

The Information Minister added that “all things being equal, once he is done, he [the Finance Minister] will brief the nation through Parliament on the economic measures being used there.”

Many are calling on the President to implement some form of lockdown to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghana.

The current number of cases in the country stands at 132.

The President has however stated, consultations will take place before any such measure.

Restrictions to stop COVID-19 spread
Following the many calls for Ghana to declare a lockdown in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah earlier gave indications that the government may announce restrictions in some parts of Ghana as part of additional measures to stop the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

He said a restriction or any other new precautionary measure the government may adopt will be aimed at curbing a community spread of the disease.

“So far, every step of the way, the government has been very proactive with coming up with measures to contain the situation. Those final rafts of measures now that the law has been put in place may include some restrictions in some parts of the country but whatever will be done will be with the objective of ensuring that we totally negate the potential for community spread,” he said in a Citi News interview.

A total of 132 persons have so far been confirmed to have been infected with the Coronavirus disease in Ghana.

Source: Citinewsroom.com