The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana from March 2020 to July 2020.
Timeline March 2020 On 11 March, President Nana Akufo-Addo directed the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, to make the cedi equivalent of $US100 million available to enhance Ghana's coronavirus preparedness and response plan. The President, Nana Akufo-Addo delivered a coronavirus state of the Nation Address. On 12 March, the Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu announced Ghana's first two cases at an emergency press briefing. The tests were performed at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana. The two cases were people who returned to the country from Norway and Turkey, making them imported cases of COVID-19 in Ghana. These two cases begun the first contact tracing process in Ghana. Of the first two cases reported in Ghana, one case was a senior officer at the Norwegian Embassy in Ghana who had returned from Norway, while the other was a staff member at the United Nations (UN) offices in Ghana who had returned from Turkey. On 13 March, Ghana confirmed two more cases bringing the number to four cases in the country. On 14 March, Ghana again confirmed two cases summing up to six cases in the country. On 15 March, at 10 pm, President Nana Akufo-Addo banned all public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals, political rallies, church activities and other related events to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at a press briefing on the state of COVID-19. On 16 March, the President Akufo-Addo addressed the nation on measures taken to combat coronavirus pandemic On 17 March, a total of 143 suspected cases had been tested for COVID-19 by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) bringing the positive case count to seven (7) positive cases all imported in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, also declared in Parliament that the $100 million announced by President Akufo-Addo to fight coronavirus was not ready. This revelation by the Minister did not go down well, with many Ghanaians slamming the president for not being sincere and honest in such a precarious situation. Traveling to Ghana from countries which had recorded over 200 positive COVID-19 cases was strongly discouraged with non-admittance of such travelers; however, this restriction did not apply to Ghanaian citizens and people with resident permits. A web page was also created to provide official updates and information. On 18 March, Ghana recorded two cases which sum up to nine cases. These were confirmed by NMIMR, both Ghanaians returning from the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. On the same day, three Ghanaians in Europe died from the disease. On 19 March, KCCR confirmed two new cases in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region of Ghana, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to eleven. Passport services were also suspended on this date. On 20 March, Ghana recorded five new cases in the Greater Accra Region, raising the total confirmed cases to sixteen. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivered his 4th State of the Nation Address in Parliament. On 21 March, Ghana confirmed three new cases raising the number of cases to 19 patients. At 9 pm, the president of the republic, Nana Akuffo Addo addressed the nation with Ghana's first death case from Kumasi. Two new cases were later confirmed making a total of twenty-one confirmed cases in Ghana. On 22 March, three new cases were confirmed in the country, hence amounting to 24 cases. On 23 March, three cases were recorded, summing up to 27 cases. The Local Government Minister announced the disinfection of 137 markets in the Greater Accra Region. On that same day, all beaches were closed to help contain the spread of the virus. All of the county's borders were closed for a fortnight from midnight of Sunday 22 March 2020. On 24 March, the Minister of Health announced 25 new confirmed cases and one new death case, hence totaling 52 COVID-19 patients and two deaths. On 25 March, there were 15 new cases with a third death recorded at the 37 military hospital and an update from the Ghana Health Service brought the number of cases to 68. The President, Nana Akufo-Addo delivered the third coronavirus Pandemic State of the Nation Address. On 26 March, 64 new cases were recorded increasing Ghana's case count to 132. On the same day, a letter written and signed by the director general of the Ghana Health Service recalled all staff on study leave into active service. This was to help accommodate the workload on health centers. On 27 March, Ghana confirmed three new cases totaling 137 cases. on the same day, the first case recorded in the Upper West Region was made known at a press briefing in Wa. The President addressed the nation at 11pm with an announcement that placed some key cities in Accra and Kumasi under a partial lock down, effective Monday 30 March 2020. Members of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary; and some services such as those that involve in production, distribution and marketing of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medicine, paper and plastic packages, were exempted from the restrictions. Parliament passed the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Trust Fund Act, 2020 (Act 1013) to set up a fund to receive and manage contributions and donations to support in the fight against the virus. On 28 March, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 141 and the total number of deaths stood at five. A special life insurance cover for the professionals at the front line dealing with the pandemic, was announced by the Ghana Health Ministry. The workers were insured under Group Life cover, with an assured sum of GHC350,000 on each life. On 29 March, the government of Ghana set up a quarantine center at the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, after the confirmation of 10 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in that part of the country, bringing the number of case count for COVID-19 to 152. On the same day the president inaugurated the board of trustees of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund in a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House. On 30 March, the partial lock down of Accra and Kumasi took effect. No new cases were recorded on this day. On 31 March, nine new cases were confirmed, bringing the number to 161 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The new cases were all in Accra. Three of the infected persons had returned from journeys to Germany, France and Hungary respectively.
April 2020 On 1 April, the number of confirmed cases reached 195 with more security checkpoints and roadblocks set up in Accra. There was a bit of heavy vehicular traffic at many of the barriers and most commercial vehicles were not allowed to cross the Tema Motorway. On 2 April, nine new cases were confirmed, making the total 204. All new cases were from the Greater Accra Region. The nine cases consist of four who have no contact with confirmed cases nor a travel history, four who are contacts of confirmed cases and one traveling to Ghana from Benin within the last 14 days. Two cases are in critical condition. On 3 April, one new case was confirmed and the total number stood at 205. The regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra (183 cases), Ashanti (9 cases), Northern (10 cases), Upper West (1 case), Eastern (1 case) and Upper East Region (1 case). There was a disinfection exercise for 266 markets in the Northern, North East and Savannah regions. At a press briefing, the director general of the Ghana Health Service, announced the commencement of local production of nose masks as part of efforts to arrest the spread of the pandemic. 49 persons who tested positive were discharged from health facilities to begin home care management. On 4 April, 198 markets in the Eastern Region of Ghana were disinfected as part of the drive to control the pandemic. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development teamed up with Moderpest Company and Zoomlion Ghana for the exercise. The Minister for Information announced in a tweet, that the closure of the borders has been extended by the president, for another fortnight effective midnight of Sunday 5 April 2020. The Ghana Health Service confirmed nine additional cases, bringing the total to 214. Six of the cases were in Accra and three in Kumasi. On 5 April 2020, no new cases were recorded. On 6 April, 73 new cases are confirmed and the total number of cases rises to 287. The new cases are in Accra and Kumasi. On 8 April, the number of confirmed rose to 313 as 26 more cases and one death are recorded. The Central Region recorded its first case. The infected person is a 57-year-old clergyman who returned to the country from the United Kingdom on 17 March 2020. On 9 April, Ghana's case rose to 378. It was announced by the president of Ghana during his national address to the nation. The new cases were detected as a result of ongoing contact tracing and testing exercise in the country. 15 of the new cases were in the Eastern Region. On 10 April, 408 cases were confirmed, with eight deaths and the disease now in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Northern, North East, Upper East and Upper West regions. Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, died from COVID-19 at University of Ghana Medical Centre in Accra. On 11 April, a total of 566 cases were confirmed. This came after the Ghana Health Service confirmed 158 new cases. Western and Volta regions recorded their first cases each. Western region recorded one case, whereas Volta Region recorded nine cases. Six out of the nine COVID-19 cases in the Volta Region were from Nigeria and entered Ghana illegally through unapproved routes along the Ghana-Togo border. According to the health authorities, the increasing number of cases was as a result of the ongoing enhanced surveillance. This brings the total number of affected regions in Ghana to ten. On 14 April, it was confirmed by the Ghana Health Service that Ghana's cases had risen to 636. 70 new cases were recorded in addition to the previous 566 cases. Also 17 were reported to have recovered from the disease. They tested negative after they were tested two consecutive times. On 15 April, it was confirmed by the Ghana Health Service that Ghana's cases had risen to 641. In addition to the earlier 17 that have been reported to have recovered, 66 have tested negative once and are awaiting a second test, bringing the total to 83 cases that have recovered or been discharged. On 18 April, the number of confirmed cases increased by 193 reaching 834. There was one more death that brought the tally to nine with 99 recoveries. The number of tested samples is 60,916 out of which 1.37% are positive. On 19 April, the number of confirmed cases in Ghana was 1042. It was announced by the president of Ghana in his address to the nation. The partial lock down that had been imposed three weeks earlier was lifted but the other preventive protocols were still in effect. On 22 April, the number of confirmed cases stands at 1,154 with 120 recoveries. 122 new cases recorded with 21 patients recovering over a three-day period from the day of the Presidential address. On 24 April, 125 new cases are confirmed, bringing the overall figure to 1,279. 134 people have recovered and 10 have died. The Oti and Western North Regions record cases and that brings the tally of regions with confirmed cases to 12. In the Oti Region, there are 13 confirmed cases, while the Western North has one case. On 26 April, 271 new cases are confirmed and the total is 1,550. There are 11 deaths, while 21 patients have recovered making total recoveries 155. On 28 April, 1,671 cases are confirmed. 16 patients have died and 188 have recovered. Mandatory use of masks is enforced by businesses and organizations.