The Ghana Bar Association, GBA, has asked government to find more effective ways of dealing with the reluctance among some people to wear the nose masks in public to help stop the spread of the coronavirus disease, instead of the threat of harsh punishment.
According to the GBA, the punishment, as prescribed by section Six of Act 2012 and Paragraph 4(2) of Executive Instrument (E.I. 164), is not only harsh and severe but could also make an already bad situation in the country’s prisons worse.
President of the GBA, Anthony Forson, said intensive education is key in getting people to do the right, in the face of the threatening pandemic, instead of the threat of huge fines and imprisonment.
He was giving further explanation on a statement issued by the GBA on the punishment for people who refuse to wear masks, as enshrined in the Executive Instrument (E.I.).
As an intervention to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, President Akufo-Addo signed Executive Instrument (E.I. 164), which makes it a criminal offence for failing to wear nose masks in public.