Joseph Kobla Wemakor writes-The worse outcomes of COVID-19 battle

The worse form of an accident or calamity is the scars it leaves in the minds, and bodies of its victims, and COVID-19 is surely not going to fade away without leaving some marks out here.

One such big issue today is the stigmatization of those who have recovered. The worse form of it all is that this kind of stigmatization happens when people suspect you having the virus without the proof of a medical test, they easily conclude among themselves that you have contracted the disease therefore they tend to avoid you.

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Not to even talk about the survivors or those who have been cured of the terrible disease. The era of the lockdown we were told also brought about some degrees of domestic violence perpetrated by some husbands on their wives since it made it possible for people to stay at home with their families.

For instance, in Ghana, the lockdown period lasted for three weeks after which it was lifted. Unfortunately, during the period, issues of domestic violence, sexual and gender based violence, emotional abuses among others were reported.

When Ghana first proscribed public gatherings for a month from March 15, 2020 after it confirmed the first case of COVID-19, schools, markets, churches, mosques as well as other social gatherings such as weddings and funerals have remained under a ban since the first order.

The country’s entry points have also been shut and a lockdown is imposed on some major cities, in regions where COVID-19 cases have been reported from in significant numbers.  Though the country’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has recently lifted the lockdown, the extension on public gatherings still continues for two more weeks, he declared.

Since his declaration last Sunday, Ghanaians have received his message with mixed reactions; some were in approval while others were in disapproval of it for various reasons best known to them. But the challenge remains for a fact that they have missed the olden days which brought them together not apart in recent times.

Finally, you cannot mention hunger without attributing it to the COVID-19 and lockdown; they go hand in hand.

The loss of jobs of masses and closure of businesses due to the global pandemic coupled with the lockdown measures which ordered people to stay home and forfeit all business operations in order to contain the virus for weeks is one of the contributory factors during the period. Another contributing factor to the whole saga is that the majority of Ghanaian population are made up of the vulnerable and the unemployed who often struggle to survive or could not afford even three (3) square meals per day. How far more in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown where hardship, trauma, joblessness and above health issues compound to give rise to hunger since aid in terms of free food, water and other essentials cannot suffice the beleaguered majority of people.

It appears at a time, most Ghanaians could not control the gravity of hunger being felt during the lockdown as it worsen. What even worsen the hardship in the system is that in the wake of the pandemic, prices of foodstuffs and other essentials in the marketplaces have skyrocketed by traders even though they are supposed see a reduction to cushion people.

At a point in time, you are likely to hear a popular slogan from the lips of people in the local parlance (Twi), if you have listen attentively enough: “It is not the disease that will kills us but the accompanying hunger”. This alone goes to give credence to the fact that hunger is a great issue at hand. Not only that, the hunger situation during the lockdown has also compelled the controversial boxer Braimah Kamoko, popularly known as Bukom Banku who beseeched President Akufo-Addo not to extend the lockdown for an additional two weeks. Who knows, maybe the President might have listened to his plea which informed his decision to lift up the lockdown on Sunday. We’ll it’s obvious, the experiences of hunger will forever linger in the minds of Ghanaians even after the dark days of COVID-19 fades away.

The COVID-19 with its lockdown though reflects a lot of bad things in perspective, it brought about the horrendous, the ugliest things and unforeseen circumstances which ought to be condemned in no uncertain terms.

Source: Joseph Kobla Wemakor