News
COVID-19 positive cases found in some Kuwait returnees—Dr Sarkodie
A number of the 230 Ghanaians who returned from Kuwait last weekend have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The Director of Public Health of the service, Dr Badu Sarkodie who disclosed this at the COVID-19 press briefing in Accra yesterday, fell short of mentioning how many of them were infected but said the service was following up on the test.
“We are following up on the test. We have not finished with all the people they took samples from. There are indications that some of them are positive. We will follow up on these and when the reports are ready, we will share them”, he said.
This disclosure comes less than a week after the Director for Media and Communication for operation COVID-19 Safety, Osei Bonsu Dickson, in a news report upon their arrival said all of them had tested negative to the virus following a test before their departure to Ghana.
“They needed to be taken through serological test, and that took place in Kuwait and all of them tested negative”, he reportedly said, adding that they would be tested again when quarantined.
The deportees arrived on Saturday from the Gulf State, where they lived illegally until the Kuwait government, in consultation with their Ghanaian counterparts, agreed to deport them via a chartered flight.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told journalists last week that government granted a special permit in their admission in line with immigration and health regulations to prevent a threat to the Ghanaian population.
The deportation came at a time when the country’s borders remained closed to human travel as part of international travel restrictions under Ghana’s COVID-19 Response Programme to avert the importation of the disease.
They were the first batch of Ghanaians resident abroad who had applied to be brought back home following international border restrictions to contain the pandemic.
Asked to confirm that some members of parliaments had tested positive for the virus following their mandatory testing, Dr Sarkodie said he did not have official information on the matter.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
