The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi has decried the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sector.
She disclosed that the industry has lost $170 million USD in a spate of four months due to the outbreak of the deadly disease, which is wreaking havoc to all sectors of the global economy.
Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said this while taking her turn to speak at the Ministry of Information organised press briefing on Thursday, June 4, 2020, to provide further details on the ease of restrictions on the hospitality sector,
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This loss, she explained, was as a result of the ban on social and public gathering which affected the operations of player within the sector.
“That’s the initial loss that we have assessed but we believe that as we go forward, we will do further assessment to ascertain the full impact of Covid-19 on the entire sector”.
She, however, added that she believes the impact on the sector will be minimised as Government supports operators in the industry.
Ease of restrictions
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday, May 31, 2020, reviewed the ban on social gatherings which was imposed as part of measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 viral disease.
These include conferences, weddings, and workshops.
Also, restaurants providing seated services can operate under strict social distancing and hygiene arrangement.
“I know, however,.that we cannot live with these restrictions forever, and that it is imperative we find a safe way to return our lives to normalcy as other nations across the globe are trying to do”, the President opined.
Further details
Giving further details on this, Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said the ease of restrictions cover events such as awards shows, entertainment shows, weddings, birthday parties, among others.
She provided further clarity on what the President meant by limiting gatherings to “25%” of expected guest.
Using the conference center, which has a capacity of about 2000 people, as an example, the Minister explained that the “25%” limit does not mean a facility could take 25 percent of its total capacity, adding that all events held anywhere should not exceed 100 guest.
Again she cautioned that any business within the sector who flouts the directive will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
She also added that event organisers seeking to organise any programme must first seek permission from the Ghana Tourism Authority before going ahead with it.
By Salifu B.B. Moro
