COVID-19: Ghana relaxes lockdown after massive testing

Ghanaian president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has on Sunday announced the relaxation of the nationwide lockdown after carrying out massive COVID-19 tests across the country.

The relaxation starts from 1.00 a.m. local time (0100GMT) on Monday, however, the country still maintains the ban on gatherings, Anadolu Agency reports.

Ghana becomes one of the few countries globally to relax restrictions and President Akufo-Addo credited the move to the country's "ability to undertake aggressive contact tracing of infected persons."

"Lifting these restrictions does not mean we are letting our guard down […] I am demanding even greater adherence to these measures."

"Businesses and other workplaces can continue to operate, observing staff management and workplace protocols with the view to achieving social distancing and hygiene protocols," the report said.

The restrictions on educational activities still remain intact as the country battles over 100 coronavirus cases.

Since the pandemic broke out in the Hubei province of Wuhan, China in December, Ghana has recorded a total of 1,042 cases and 9 deaths, according to Worldometers.