The Muslim community will today [Thursday, March 26, 2020] continue to observe fasting and prayers to seek Allah’s intervention as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.
The fast is part of a directive from the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, asking Muslims to add one more day to the national day of fasting and prayer declared by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
A spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu said Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu believes the fasting could be extended to today [Thursday] to give Muslims the opportunity to intercede on behalf of the nation.
“The Chief Imam requested that once we are in a situation of crisis, and we are seeking a means of drawing closer and closer to God to invoke God’s compassion, Chief Imam saw that we could continue to use the fasting as a means of interceding on behalf of the nation,” he said.
The President declared the national exercise over the weekend when he gave his third national address to update citizens on measures taken to tackle the outbreak of the disease in the country.
In that address on Saturday, March 21, 2020, President Akufo-Addo pleaded with Ghanaians to pray whilst adhering to the measures outlined to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
“Whilst we continue to adhere to these measures and ramp up our efforts to defeat this virus, I urge all of us also to seek the face of the Almighty. So on Wednesday, 25th March 2020, I appeal to all Ghanaians – Christians and Muslims to observe a national day of fasting and prayer. Let us pray to God to protect our nation and save us from this pandemic,” he said.
Coronavirus cases in Ghana so far
Ghana has so far recorded 68 cases of COVID-19 including three deaths.
38 of the confirmed positive cases, which forms a majority, was detected among some persons who were mandatorily quarantined by the government after arriving in the country hours to the closure of the country’s air, sea and land ports.
The other 30 confirmed cases were confirmed in the general population in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions.
The Ghana Health Service has indicated that the majority of the confirmed cases are of Ghanaians, most of whom imported the virus from other parts of the world.
