This is NPP Parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Greater Accra, Sheila Bartels, with her campaign team, visiting senior high schools within her constituency during this COVID-19 spike in schools across the country. Would an NDC aspiring parliamentary candidate ever be permitted by the authorities to visit a senior high school, to campaign in this COVID-19 era? Now, we understand some of the reasons why our children have to remain on the campuses even as the COVID-19 cases are on the rise among students.
Nana Boakye, NPP national executive with his team, were captured in a photo, campaigning among students on a school compound. The Ministry Of education has yet to take an action against the said breach. I doubt if they ever would. Now, it’s Sheila Bartels, clearly breaching all the COVID-19 protocols, to campaign in schools, putting our children in harm’s way. She was not even wearing a face mask in a public place. If government does not see this as a breach of the Executive Instrument (E.I 164), Ghanaians shall be right to describe their claim to be the vanguards of rule of law as mere lip service and a sham. E.I 164 state among others thus;
(i) It is mandatory to wear a face mask, face shield or any face covering that covers the nose and mouth completely when in public, leaving or returning to your place of abode.
The mandatory wearing of face coverings shall not be for a period of more than three (3) months.
(ii) The mandatory wearing of face masks is meant for the whole country.
(iii) Members of the Ghana Police Service may conduct random checks to ensure the compliance with the law.
(iv) Failure to comply with the law will lead an individual to be liable on summary conviction a prison sentence of not less than four years and not more than 10 years or a fine of GH¢12,000 to GH¢60,000, or both.
If the ruling NPP the Ministry of Education and the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo government, doesn’t take punitive action against Nana Boakye and Sheila Bartels, we as parents, can conclude that the government only re-opened schools, for the purpose. A school boy of KNUST, died of stomach ulcer, because his parents were barred from bringing him food from home, for fear of they bringing along Coronavirus to the school environment. An asthmatic Accra Girls’ Senior High School student, whose mother brought her medication, was barred from meeting her mom, to collect the medicines. We saw this on video.
If schools are a no-go area for even parents, why would Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the President, and the Ministry of Education look on as their party people and their dozen of followers, break the same rule with so much impunity? I expect the NPP leadership to have taken a step in the interest of the public by now, as these photos and videos have become public, if they deem these breaches a bad press for the image of the government and their party.
By George Yeboah