By Jacob Aggrey & Francisca Maame Esi Quainoo
It’s been two years since the World Health Organization, WHO first described Covid-19 as a pandemic, shaking countries into action as the disease ripped around the planet.
Two years on GBC News hit the streets of Accra to gauge the thoughts of some Ghanaians on the impact of Covid-19 on their lives.
There were mixed reactions among a cross section of Ghanaians on the issues surrounding Covid-19 including money allocated for relief efforts. People GBC News spoke to seemed divided on the issue of accountability of the Covid funds.
Vaccination:
On the Vaccination also the thoughts and views varied. Meshach Asante is a youth at Osu. He has a position.
”The best of my knowledge, I think the government is putting in place some measures such as the free vaccination where they are encouraging people to go for the Covid-19 vaccine, so as to limit the spread of Covid-19 and also decrease chances of people being infected with the disease. The government has drawn out some sensitization programs whereby people are being educated on the Covid-19 itself, how it can be infected and how to prevent it as well”, he said.
Nose Masks:
Some of the respondents also noted that the government has been instrumental, when it came to the sharing of nose masks, educating the public and the distribution of other essential Covi-19 relief products to cut down the spread of the infectious disease.
Ishmael Quartey of Osu has this to say: “For my knowledge, I think the government has really helped in sharing nose marks to the public to slow down cases that has been coming up and educating us on how to be safe, keeping social distance and washing our hands clean with soap under running water”, he noted.
Some Ghanaians however expressed discontent with efforts of the Government during the outbreak of the virus and say till date the country has not made much progress post Covid-19.
“I don’t think we have made any improvement financially”.
This is the view of Tempest, a student of AUCC.
The view here is that the adverse effects of Covid-19 was immense on the economy, because it collapsed quite a number of businesses and allowed for a reduction in social gathering. Meshach shares the same view.
“It has brought restrictions, as to how we live our lives. We are not in normal times. Restrictions such as having to wear nose masks all the time. We can’t host programs whereby crowds can gather and to some extent, it has affected our social life with one another”.
Emanuella of Legon City Campus said, ”there is an increase in everything. The importation and the exportation prices have been placed on goods including petroleum. It has just made everything more difficult”, she stated.
Comparing the situation to recent strikes in the country, some of the respondents claimed money reserved for teachers was used as Covid-19 Relief funding. Emanuella made her point.
“I think the money that was supposed to be given to the teachers was used during the Covid-19 to sponsor other things, medicine and stuff”, she alleges.
Covid-19 dealt a blow to many, lives lost, businesses crippled, relationships affected, but the bottom line is that lessons have been learnt and Leaders going forward ought to plan to mitigate the impact of such on citizens, that is what the respondents sought to articulate.
Read also: Covid-19 Vaccination: Wise up! and get vaccinated now!
