The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has condemned the wanton disregard of the COVID-19 protocols – social distancing and the wearing of nose masks – by activists of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) during its parliamentary primaries over the weekend.

“If what happened over the weekend during the NPP parliamentary primaries is anything to go by, the Council and many right-thinking Ghanaians have no doubt to believe that the floodgates for flouting the law in the name of political activities has just been opened if action is not taken against those political activists who flouted the rules by bringing them to justice,” GPCC said in a statement signed by its President Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso.

The Council called on the President to call the NPP activists to order and to ensure that justice and fair play is seen to be administered at all times to all Ghanaians irrespective of their political or social status.

Per E.I.164 (No. 10), not wearing face masks in public is an offence punishable by law.

Read the full GPCC press statement below:

PRESS RELEASE

Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC)

NON-OBSERVANCE AND NON-ENFORCEMENT OF THE COVID-19 PROTOCOLS (E.I. 164; No. 10)

June 22, 2020

Following His Excellency the President’s 11th address to the nation on Sunday 14th June 2020 and subsequent to the issuance of E.I.164 (No. 10), the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council has observed with great trepidation the seeming lack of observance and non-enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols, especially those relating to social distancing and the wearing of nose masks by a section of the Ghanaian population in spite of recent spikes in the daily positive cases and the ongoing enhanced public education on the pandemic.

Of great concern to the Council is last weekend New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) organised primaries to elect its Parliamentary candidates across the country ahead of the December 2020 elections. While Churches, Mosques and other religious institutions are being held to strict observance of the laid down protocols by government, political parties, their candidates and supporters seem to have a field day disobeying the orders of the President under E.I. 164 with careless abundance.

For the governing party, which should show the way for all in relation to the strict observance of the COVID-19 protocols to throw caution to the wind by what Ghanaians watched on major television networks across the country, then our collective efforts at fighting and winning the war against this pandemic seem to be already compromised.

If what happened over the weekend during the NPP Parliamentary primaries is anything to go by, the Council and many right-thinking Ghanaians have no doubt to believe that the floodgates for flouting the law in the name of political activities has just been opened if action is not taken against those political activists who flouted the rules by bringing them to justice.

The Council wishes to condemn in no uncertain terms the wanton disregard of the COVID-19 protocols on social distancing and the wearing of nose masks by NPP activists during their last weekend primaries and we call on His Excellency the President, who happens to be the leader of the party to call them to order and to ensure that justice and fair play is seen to be administered at all times to all Ghanaians irrespective of their political or social status.

To the many Ghanaians who are refusing to wear the nose mask and observe the social distancing protocols, we appeal to you in the name of the Almighty to heed the national call for strict observance of all the protocols to avert a national crisis and for the sake of the lives of our loved ones. Let us not be complacent as a result of the partial easing of the lockdown but let’s collectively commit to fighting together to defeat the pandemic. Let us all be each other’s keeper, let’s keep hope alive and trust in the Lord Almighty, for this too shall pass.

God bless our Homeland Ghana and make us great and strong.

Issued on behalf of the National Executive Council by:

Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso

(President)