The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to prosecute organizers of Sir John’s funeral following the total disregard for COVID-19 protocols at the grounds.
Videos and photos making rounds on social media show most of the mourners were without nose masks and disregarded social distancing protocols at the funeral.
The GMA is unhappy that such a “super spreader” event was organized at a time when the country is still racing against time to meet its target of vaccinating about 20 million citizens by the end of 2021 against the deadly viral disease.
“The GMA condemns such activities that violate our protocols and has the tendency to reverse all gains made in our fight against COVID-19,” the statement said.
The GMA statement did not go down well with Ghanaian journalist and co-host of Happy 98.9FM’s Happy Morning Show, Raymond Nyamador who described the statement and GMA as hypocrites.
According to him, it’s becoming a ritual of the association to only issue press statements when something of this nature happens. “If the Ghana Medical Association wants action to be taken, it is not through a press statement, they can petition the IGP if they so believe there are breaches and action must be taken, you petition the IGP, you don’t expect him [IGP] to act through a press release.”
“They know the people who were present at Sakora Wonoo, the President and the Vice was there, they can send a document to the President which is not out of order, The GMA should stop hiding behind the press release. I will call the action of the GMA hypocritical. You don’t select or choose the event that has happened and you issue release on it. This is not the first time we have held a funeral in this country amid COVID-19.
During the late Former President, Rawiling’s funeral COVID-19 protocols were put in place but they were breached. Sometimes it’s beyond the control of the organizers of the event, it’s a matter of facts. You can’t blame the family because they did what they should have done. The same thing happened at Wornoo. The GMA should understand that having lifted restrictions, and a ban on certain things to some extent, Ghanaians will always go overboard. We must anticipate that” he told Samuel Eshun.
However, the Pressure Group, Occupy Ghana, strongly condemned the government for flagrantly disregarding covid-19 protocols during the funeral.
In a statement, OccupyGhana described the disregard for protocols as disappointing and worrying.
“To wake up to contrary behaviour by prominent members of the same government and other politicians, after we have seen the colossal human disaster that has unfolded in India, caused by unrestrained political activities and religious events that did not respect COVID-19 protocols, is both disappointing and frightening. We cannot show such a remarkable sense of recklessness and abandon in these times and not expect to reap disastrous and possibly deadly consequences.”
