The current COVID-19 positive cases in Ghana, reported by President Akufo-Addo as at April 19, 2020 between the hours of 22:00 GMT, was one thousand, forty-two (1042).

Nevertheless, the lockdown was lifted on affected areas including Ghana’s capital Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa, however, gathering is still forbidden for the main time until further notice.

What has spark the fire to get some Ghanaians to question the president’s decision was that, he imposed the lockdown on March 30^th when the country had only 100 positive.

So they want why would he [the president] lifts the ban on lockdown when the threshold is now above 1000 cases with nine deaths and a little below 100 recoveries.    

Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were the first to condemn the lift.

One of such persons is Dzifa Gunu, who post on his Facebook wall: “According to him, we have 1042 positive cases and he still lifts the lockdown. Really?”

Other social media commentators concluded that the lift on the lockdown in Greater Accra, Kumasi and Kosoa, was merely politically inclined than health to help the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) organise its primaries as well as elect a flag bearer.

Conspiracy theorists placed the president’s lift on the lockdown under a serious scrutiny, saying the decision was a means to push the agenda of the Electoral Commission and National Identification Authority to register people in the face of a deadly pandemic.  

Sam Dzata George, Member of Parliament for Prampram in the Greater Accra region also added that “The next elections over Ghanaians lives. Truly sad.”

Paul Boateng, a security analyst simply classified the decision as a “time bomb”

Journalist Dumevi Jeorge Wilson Kingson blasted President Akufo-Addo for not commenting on the Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in the northern regions, which mortality rate is above that of the COVID-19.

 To others, it was a good news and a positive sign to lift Ghanaians out of the hardship and starvation, which born out of the partial lockdown.

Prosper Dan Afetsi, President of a youth leadership movement, Foundation for Generational Thinkers (FOGET) to opined “I think result of poverty and the hardship imposed on Ghanaians by the partial lockdown that has compelled the Head of state to lift the restriction” and went on to asked “But do you think this is a good decision.”  

By Bernice Bessey