Infected Ghanaian minister resigns — after breaching COVID-19 protocol

Carlos Ahenkorah, Ghanaian deputy minister for trade and industry, has resigned after breaching COVID-19 protocols.

In a statement on Tuesday, Eugene Arhin, director of communications, office of the president, said the minister’s resignation came after he admitted to breaching established COVID-19 guidelines despite having tested positive for the disease.

The minister was said to have visited a registration centre in his constituency before he completed self-isolation.

Health agencies have advised those on isolation to avoid being seen in public for at least 14 days.

“The President of the Republic, Nana Asso Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 3rd July, July, 2020 accepted the resignation from office of the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, MP, which takes immediate effect,” the statement read.

“This follows the admission by the Deputy Minister of his breach of the COVID-19 protocols, when, as a person certified to be positive for the virus, he visited a registration centre in his constituency before the period of self-isolation was complete.”

The president also advised his appointees to be responsible leaders and urged them to enforce the established protocols needed to defeat the disease.

“President Akufo-Addo is admonishing all of his appointees to bear in mind that they are to provide leadership at all times, for adherence to the protocols that have been established to help the nation defeat COVID-19,” he said.

“In accepting the resignation, the President recognises that Hon Carlos Ahenkorah has acted honourably in the circumstances by resigning his office, and wishes him well.”

There are reports that the minister’s driver, who was with him when he visited the centre, is also positive for the disease.

Ghana, had in April, lifted a three-week lockdown on the basis of “improved coronavirus testing”.

The president had said the decision was taken as a result of the country’s “ability to undertake aggressive contact of infected persons, enhancement of our capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of our treatment and isolation centres, our better understanding of the dynamism of the virus.”

So far, the country has confirmed 18,134 cases of COVID-19 and recorded 117 deaths while 13,550 persons have recovered from the disease.