The Greater Accra Regional Security Council on Thursday ordered an end to the ban on beaches within the region, giving beachgoers the opportunity to visit beaches for the first time in the yuletide season.
During an extended Regional Security Council meeting, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, announced the decision of the REFSEC to reopen the beaches to the public after it was closed on December 24, 2021, in response to the fourth wave of Covid-19 spread in the country.
“It’s been decided by REGSEC, jointly by the Ghana Health Service, that the operators of the various beaches along the coast in the Greater Accra Region can go back and do business,” he said.
To control the spread of the deadly contagion at the beaches, beachgoers will have to show proof of vaccination before allowed entry, or similarly, Mr Quartey said “they will be vaccinated at the point of entry.”
Henry Quartey further charged beaches operators to ensure patrons adhere to all Covid 19 protocols.
Omicron Variant in Ghana
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it has detected the COVID-19 Omicron variant at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
According to the service, it was discovered on Sunday, November 21, 2021, by a Nigerian traveller.
It however said the variant has not yet been discovered within the community.
This was announced by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, during a presentation at the launch of Ghana’s Covid-19 vaccination month which starts today, Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
In a December 8 interview, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said all the 34 cases recorded so far were detected at the airport and have been isolated.
“Nobody has Omicron virus in Ghana. The ones we picked were at the airport coming into the country. For the tests we’ve been doing for immigrants, we did 116 tests with Noguchi, and out of them, we got about 34 cases mainly from Nigeria and South Africa, and one from Portugal. We have done some checks at the various labs and have not picked any cases in the country yet,” he said in an interview on Face to Face on Citi TV.
WHO urges cancellation of some holiday events over Omicron fears
The World Health Organization has urged people to cancel some of their holiday plans to protect public health as the Omicron variant spreads globally.
“An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled,” said WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that “difficult decisions” must be made.
“In some cases, that will mean cancelling or delaying events,” he said.
His comments came as health experts declared Omicron is now the dominant variant in the US.
Dr. Tedros added that there was no evidence that the variant “is spreading significantly faster than… Delta”.
A number of countries – including France and Germany – have tightened Covid restrictions and imposed travel curbs to try to halt the spread of the new variant. The Netherlands has introduced a strict lockdown over the Christmas period.
By: Bernard Ralph Adams | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
