Nation fasts, prays today

Ghanaians of all faiths are expected to fast and pray today ( Wednesday March 25, 2020) to the almighty God to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his third address to the nation on the pandemic last Saturday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared today as a National Day of Fasting and Prayer and asked Ghanaians to seek the face of God in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

That, he said, would be an addition to the adherence of measures rolled out to help contain the spread of the disease that had so far infected 400,000 people worldwide, with about 100,000 recoveries and 17,000 fatalities.

Situation in Ghana

Ghana has so far recorded 52 cases with two fatalities, while 1,030 people who returned into the country have also been quarantined.

As part of the measures to curb the pandemic, the government has closed all the country’s borders - land, sea and air – to human traffic for the next two weeks, with effect from midnight last Sunday.

While urging everyone to observe recommended hygienic practices and social regulations, President Akufo-Addo also announced that anyone who arrived in the country after midnight last Saturday would be mandatorily quarantined and tested.

Appeal

Addressing the nation last Saturday in his third such briefing on the pandemic, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged all – Muslims and Christians – to pray “to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic”.

He expressed gratitude to “the men and women of God who prayed for the nation with me on Thursday, and with the Vice-President on Friday, for their intervention”, referring to a prayer meeting he hosted at the seat of government, Jubilee House, last Thursday attended by a selection of noted clergymen, and a Friday Muslim prayer attended by Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.