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Not wearing a mask in public places is a criminal offence – viral social media messages

The viral WhatsApp message is legislation issued on 6 April 2020 in Kenya for offenders who contravene the rule to properly wear masks in public places. Neither the government of Ghana nor any mainstream media in Ghana have so far communicated such information. 

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Subsequent to the lifting of the partial lockdown by the president of Ghana, Akufo-Addo, the government announced enhanced measures to control the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghanaian communities. One of such measures includes the wearing of nose masks by citizens in public places. This measure has further been enforced with a compulsory ‘No Mask, No Entry’ policy in public places by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, in a press statement and by authorities in other parts of the country. 

A viral message circulating on WhatsApp and other platforms in the country takes this further. It states that failure to wear a mask in public places is a criminal offence liable to a fine of 20,000 or 6-month imprisonment or both. The full message reads:

“It has finally been gazetted. Failure to wear a mask while in a Public place is actually a criminal offence. Section 6(1)(b) as read with section 11 of the Regulations. If found guilty you can be liable to a fine of 20,000/= or imprisonment for 6 months or both. Failure to wear a mask in a public or private transport and public transport operators Section 5(4) must wear mask. So don’t say you were not warned. Share widely with friends so that they should not leave the house without a mask. Public place means stepping outside your house. So, take precautions.”

Verification

Dubawa found that the same post has been shared on Facebook with comments indicating that the message originates from Kenya. 

Further checks show the legislation was enacted in Kenya and not Ghana as the messages sought to suggest.

Google checks revealed that Kenyan media outlets here, here, and here published articles on the penalty of not wearing face masks between 9 and 15 April 2020.

Their publications indicated that the Kenyan government had issued a gazette stating that citizens were required to wear a proper nose mask that covers their mouth and nose. Anyone who contravened the rules was considered to have committed an offence liable to a fine not exceeding 20,000 shillings, imprisonment not exceeding 6-months or both. 

Dubawa further found a copy of the Kenya Gazette Supplement No 41, a special issue on 6 April 2020, which according to some Kenyan media here, here was signed by the Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe. 

The photo below shows the section of the Kenya Gazette which states: the rule to wear a proper nose mask to cover both nose and mouth (4), an act of offence if it is contravened (5) and the penalty of a fine not exceeding 20, 000 shilling, imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or both if the offence is committed (11)

Dubawa also noted that the viral WhatsApp message purported to be a new legislation in Ghana states the fine of 20, 000 and does not include the currency of Ghana (cedis) to it. 

Meanwhile, the government of Ghana has not issued any official statement to communicate this purported new legislation on the penalty of not wearing masks in public places. Neither has any mainstream Ghanaian media published on such information.

Conclusion

The viral message circulating on Ghanaian WhatsApp outlets threatening to fine and or imprison offenders who fail to wear masks in public places is misleading. The message is new legislation on a Public Health Act against Coronavirus in Kenya, issued on 6 April 2020. Neither the government of Ghana nor Ghanaian mainstream media have conveyed any such information to citizens. Nonetheless, though the failure to wear masks may not be a criminal offence in Ghana, Ghana still has a compulsory ‘No Mask, No Entry’ directive for entering public places, to help control the spread of the virus in the county.

List of coronavirus infection hotspots in Ghana released – social media platforms

The Ghana Health Service says the list is fake and should be disregarded. It is not a list of places declared as “hotspots” for coronavirus infections in Ghana.

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A list of “coronavirus hotspot areas’ in Ghana is circulating on social media, specifically on WhatsApp.  The list names areas like Agbogbloshie, Tema Community One, Nungua market, Agbogba area and Nima market among many others as places with the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country.

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Dubawa spoke to Mr Jacob Andoh, Public Relations Officer at Ghana Health Service (GHS). According to Mr Andoh, the list is FAKE. 

“It didn’t come from GHS and we do not know where it came from. Everything we want the public to know is on the website. If it is not on the website, then it is not from us”, Mr Andoh said.

He also forwarded to us the image below.

The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Aboagye, had mentioned some districts as hotspots during the COVID-19 bi-weekly briefings on Tuesday. He, however, did not name specific areas in the districts.

Further checks on the GHS website reveal no such list.

The Ministry of Information has also not announced or published any such list on their social media channels or website. 

Conclusion

The Ghana Health Service or the Ministry of Information has not released any list indicating areas in Ghana that have been declared as coronavirus infection hotspots. 

Togo, Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire have not quickly run to the IMF for financial assistance to fight the coronavirus pandemic – John Mahama

The IMF is providing financial assistance to countries to help address the economic impact of COVID-19. The countries mentioned by John Mahama, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Rwanda, have all applied to and have been given financial assistance from the Fund.

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#JohnMahamaLied is being pushed on Twitter by users. The hashtag is accompanied by a clip of the former president’s John Mahama’s Live question and answer session, dubbed “A Digital Conversation with John Mahama on Health Care & Infrastructure”, which held on April 30. 

The former President, during the live session which was viewed on his social media accounts and on TV, suggested that some African countries, specifically Togo, Rwanda and Ivory Coast have not ‘run’ to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance to deal with the COVID-19.

Between  51:08 minutes to 53:15minutes of the live feed, Mr Mahama responded to a viewer’s question on a statement he had previously made concerning the economy where he had said the country’s economy is in intensive care unit (ICU).

“The NPP has not taken kindly to your statement that the Ghanaian economy is in ICU. They claim that you should know better that it is not only the Ghanaian economy that has taken a hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but that is the world over”  the viewer commented.

In response to this, Mr Mahama said,

“Well, we have other African countries to learn from. We said our economy was so robust and was the fastest growing in Africa and all that. Ask yourself, how many African countries have run quickly to the IMF to go and look for relief? You know, we have next door, our neighbours Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda and so many other African countries. If we had one of the best economies, why, within only three weeks, you know our economy was almost on the verge of going on its knees and we had eaten kenkey and celebrated leaving the IMF. We quickly run back to the IMF, you know… I don’t know whether we will eat kenkey and celebrate going back to the IMF to go and seek relief.” 

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The IMF is providing emergency financial assistance and debt relief to member countries whose economies have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund is deploying USD 1 Trillion to member countries. With over 102 countries calling on the fund for emergency financing, the asks by some 21 Sub-Saharan African countries have been approved. Among these 20 countries are Ghana and the other three countries mentioned by the former president — Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda and Togo. It is important to note that these countries applied for different forms of financial aid from the IMF.

Rwanda was the first African country to secure an emergency coronavirus funding from the IMF. The IMF announced on April 2 that its executive board had approved the disbursement of US$109.4 million to be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility to the country to address COVID-19 impact. Rwanda was the first sub-Saharan African country to enforce total lockdown after it recorded its index case on March 8.

Togo has also received support from the IMF to address the impact of coronavirus on its economy. The executive board of the IMF  on April 3 allowed the immediate disbursement of US$131.3 million to Togo to help address the economic and human implications posed by the pandemic. Togo was the eighth African country to record the coronavirus disease with its first case registered on March 6. 

Côte d’Ivoire confirmed and announced its first case of the coronavirus on March 11 after many suspected cases between January and March. The country was the eighth in Sub-Saharan Africa to confirm the coronavirus. On April 17, Côte d’Ivoire was approved for a Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and a Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to the tune of USD 295.4 million and USD 590.8 million respectively.

Ghana also received approval for a Rapid Credit Facility to the tune of USD 1 billion on April 13.

Conclusion

Many countries have sought financial assistance from the IMF in their bid to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.  Contrary to Mr Mahama’s claim, Togo, Rwanda and Cote d’Ivoire have received financial assistance from the IMF to address the impact of COVID-19 on their economies.

“Do not VOTE for Akuffo Addo he is a violent leader. Ex Prez Kuffour warn Ghanaians“ – Facebook user 

Three persons, the spokesperson of Kufour, the CEO of the Kufour Foundation and the presidential lead to Kufour have all refuted the claim being attributed to the former president.

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Amidst viral claims during the Coronavirus pandemic, are also a number of political claims, not out of place in an election year in Ghana. One of such is a Facebook post which purports that a former president of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufour, has cautioned Ghanaians not to vote for the sitting president, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo because he is a violent man.

The claim, which was posted on 28 April 2020, shows a photo of Kufuor pointing a finger while speaking with the caption “Do not VOTE for Akuffo Addo he is a violent leader. Ex Prez Kuffour warn Ghanaians. Do no VOTE for violent person to lead us. I warned you.”

The post had garnered 31 reactions and seven comments at the time this fact-check was being written. Four out of the seven comments were by users who challenged the truthfulness of the post and the others by the claimant who tried to reinforce his claim.

It has also been shared 196 times mostly by users, who like the claimant, appear to be sympathisers of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). 

Verification

Dubawa contacted the Special Aide and Spokesperson of the former president, Dr Kwabena Osei Aduboafo, who said that the claim is false. He added that the former president does not have social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, persons posting from such accounts in his name are impostors.

“This is never true. In fact, Kufour doesn’t have a personal Facebook and Instagram account. Anyone posting from such accounts is not him.” Dr Aduboafo said. 

Dubawa also contacted the CEO of the Kufour Foundation, Dr Baffour Agyemang Duah, who equally debunked the claim.

“Kufour has not spoken. He is minding his own business. Whoever posted that must be referring to the last elections in 2008 when there was a little friction between Kufour’s camp and Akuffo-Addo’s camp. And this was 10 years ago. I see Kufour at least once a week and I can say, he hasn’t said that. This is completely false.” Dr Agyemang Duah said.

Mr Adu-Acheampong, the presidential lead and Special Aide to the former president, also confirmed to Dubawa that the claim is false.

“This is not true. Kufour will never say that,” Mr Adu-Acheampong said.

Conclusion

The claim by a Facebook user that Kufour is warning Ghanaians not to vote for Akufo-Addo because he is violent, is false. The spokesperson to the former president, Dr Aduboafo; the CEO of the Kufour Foundation, Dr Agyemang Duah; and the presidential lead to the former president, Mr Adu- Acheampong, have all stated that the former president has not said that thereby debunking the claim. And no mainstream media published any such statement from Kufour.

Melcom is offering gift cards worth GH₵2000 to Ghanaians – WhatsApp message

Melcom says it is not offering free gift cards and has urged members of the public to disregard such messages.

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There has been a widespread claim that supermarket chain, Melcom, is offering Ghanaians gift cards valued at GH¢ 600 and GH¢ 2,000. The claim has been circulating on WhatsApp for the past one week. 

The message primarily urges recipients of the message to visit a link to redeem the supposed gift cards which are said to be from Melcom to “support the nation”. 

“Melcom is giving  GH₵2000 Gift card to everyone this week to support the nation! Click here to get yours: testcnx.com/melcom,” the claim says. 

Verification

Melcom, in a reaction on its verified Facebook page on May 4, denied giving out any such gift cards. 

It said the information is false and must be disregarded. 

“It has come to our notice that several different messages are circulating on WhatsApp and social media sites that #MelcomGhana is conducting surveys and giving away free vouchers of varying amounts.

If you have received any of these unauthorized or suspicious messages, please disregard and alert us immediately as these messages are completely FALSE,” the company said in a statement.

When we followed up with a telephone call to Melcom’s advertised 0561112777 phone number for further confirmation, a customer service representative who answered the call said; 

“I’m sorry but the information is fake and we have already posted a disclaimer on our Facebook page and other social media platforms.”

This is not the first time the retail company has had to debunk this claim. Our checks also showed that the company had issued a similar disclaimer last week over the same matter. 

Meanwhile, a similar claim is also circulating in other countries. In South Africa, a similar message on social media is being linked to Shoprite. 

Shoprite South Africa has also denied running such promotion. After our question to Shoprite,  the supermarket chain responded by saying “unfortunately that is a scam. We are not running a gift card/ voucher prize competition.”

Conclusion

Melcom is not running any promotion or offer of free gift cards. Citizens are advised to disregard any such information and not click on any associated link.

Government bans ‘mallams and priests’ from broadcasting on TV – news reports

The National Media Commission has not banned ‘mallams’ and ‘fetish priests’ from broadcasting on television.

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Claims that the National Media Commission (NMC) has banned traditional and Islamic religious personalities otherwise referred to as ‘fetish priests’ and ‘mallams’ respectively from actively engaging in broadcasting and advertising on television have been widespread.

Recently, social media and some mainstream media outlets like FoxFM Online,  and dailymailafrica.com reported that the NMC has banned traditional religious personalities from advertising and broadcasting on television. This ban, according to the reports, is to commence on Friday, May 1.

The claim is said to be a directive from President Nana Akufo-Addo sent through a letter to the National Media Commission (NMC). 

Verification

The National Media Commission (NMC) is a media regulatory institution responsible for registering, regulating and monitoring media activities in Ghana. As such, the Commission has oversight responsibility for the media and its contents. It is, therefore, not far-fetched that this claim is attributed to the commission.

In reaction, the NMC, however, says the news is fake. A press release issued on April 30 and signed by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, George Sarpong, stated that no such directive was given by his agency. 

According to the press release, the constitution insulates the Commission from interference or control by government and other bodies in the performance of its functions. Therefore, it would be “unconstitutional” for the president to give such a directive to the commission. 

Additionally, Mr Sarpong stated that the Commission’s Guidelines on Religious Broadcasting does not contain any provision empowering the agency to ban religious personalities from broadcasting on television. 

Conclusion

The NMC has not been directed by the president to ban the religious broadcasts of ‘fetish priests’ and ‘mallams’ on television. Citizens are advised to disregard this piece of fake news.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is running a promo with brand new phones and laptops at stake – Facebook post

The Facebook page which advertised the promo is not the official Facebook page of the WHO. The Organization is not running a promo.

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According to a post on Facebook, the World Health Organization (WHO) is running an April Promo. The first 20,000 people to type the word “Winner” without being interrupted by another user will win brand new phones and laptops, according to the post.

This post has been shared widely, generating a total 427 shares across the social media platform.

Many users are participating in the “promo” with some going to the extent of leaving their telephone numbers in the comments section so the organizers can contact them if they win. 

Verification

Many alarms go off immediately anyone looks at the page in question. Firstly, the Facebook page was created just yesterday, April 26.  It is also not linked to the official Facebook page of the World Health Organisations (WHO) which was created on November 18, 2010. 

Secondly, whereas the official page is verified, this suspicious Facebook page is not. Furthermore, although the page name reads as World Health Organisation, the acronym is written differently from the original. Whereas the original page writes WHO, this Facebook page writes W.H.O-NOW. 

Additionally, further checks from the WHO.int page has no indication of any such promo being run.

Again, no reports have been published on the existence or authenticity of such a promotion being run on any major news platform. Considering the fact that WHO is an international organisation, it is highly unlikely that it would carry out such a “promo” without it being covered by media agencies across the world. 

Conclusion

The WHO is not running a promo through which participants can win brand new phones and laptops. This claim is false and highly indicative of a scam. 

Ghanaian women head porters otherwise called ‘Kayayei’ were caught washing used surgical masks with the intention of selling to unsuspecting Ghanaians – social media posts

While the accompanying photos are true, the incident did not happen in Ghana but in Mozambique.

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Face masks are in high demand in Ghana following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, just as personal protective equipment (PPE) are in short supply after the onset of the pandemic.

A recent social media post showing surgical face masks scattered on the floor with some women washing them have gone viral. 

The texts accompanying the photos claim the women are Ghanaian head porters popularly known as ‘kayayei’ who were captured secretly washing used surgical face masks retrieved from refuse dumps with plans to resell them in traffic. 

A post on Facebook said; “Please be careful you do not buy any face masks in traffic. These kayayei pick them from refuse dumps wash them and resell them in traffic”. Please, we here at KLC will advice any Ghanaian up there to purchase face mask from store or the pharmacy or any authorized vendor whom you think is worthy to sell them. Picture below: Beware Stay safe Corona Virus is real.” 

The same post has also been shared multiple times on WhatsApp and Twitter. 

Verification

To verify this claim, we used Google Image search to find all samples of the exact images uploaded online. We also identified older versions of the photos and found that they first surfaced online on 18th April 2020. 

We also used phrases from the accompanying texts to confirm the exact source of the message using the First Tweet app.   

The search pointed to a Mozambican journalist, Alexandre Nhampossa, tweeting via @AllexandreMZ.

The journalist indicated to us, when we contacted him, that the photos were taken in the Dondo Municipality of Sofala Province in Mozambique. 

According to a statement shared by the Dondo City Council, the two women in the picture were workers in a Chinese-owned shipyard warehouse. They had been engaged by their employers to wash the disposable surgical masks which had been damaged by rains in the warehouse. 

The masks were to be sold later but the city authorities upon a tip-off, moved in to arrest the situation, seized the masks and incinerated them at a dumpsite.  

Conclusion

While it is true that the women captured in the images were busted washing disposed surgical masks, the incident did not happen in Ghana and the people involved are not head porters.  

Bill Gates says there will be no public/mass gatherings in the light of COVID19 pandemic until everyone is vaccinated – Facebook post

A comment by Bill Gates during an interview was misrepresented.  Mr Gates, in response to a question, said the U.S. government needs to prioritise and decide which activities to allow should it decide to open up the country after weeks of lockdown. Mass gatherings, he said, is not an option now and might not come back until people are widely vaccinated. 

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Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates, has been in the news over various issues since the coronavirus pandemic began. 

One of the most recent claims circulating on social media is that Mr Gates stated that there will be no public gatherings until every human in the world has been vaccinated. This post has circulated on many platforms including Facebook, generating a wide range of highly disparaging comments against Mr Gates’ personality. Comments on this post include calls for God’s judgement on Mr Gates. See another similar post here.

These comments are not far off from those related to a long line of posts linking Mr Gates to 5G, coronavirus and the biblical mark of the beast (666). 

The post quoting Mr Gates as saying public gatherings will not return until everyone receives the coronavirus vaccine is, however, misleading.

Verification

Mr Gates has made many appearances in the media in recent times.  In relation to this particular claim, Dubawa found that portions of Mr Gates’ interview on CBS This Morning, with host Anthony Mason in which he called for nationwide social isolation policy to slow the spread of coronavirus, have been misrepresented.

The interview was based largely on Mr Gates’ views on the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and measures already in place to mitigate further spread. During the interview, he called for a nationwide social isolation policy to slow the spread of the pandemic and for the federal government to prioritise testing.

The conversation leading to the generation of these posts stemmed from Mr Gates’ concern about the U.S. government’s response to the pandemic. According to Mr Gates, an issue that his foundation’s experts and the United States government are in discussions about is what opening up will look like even if the government and the agencies at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 are able to get coronavirus cases numbers down.

He suggested that there could be reinfection globally if some activities like mass gatherings are restored unconditionally, that is without regard to the significance of mass vaccination.

The transcript of the show was posted on April 2, 2020. It revealed some parts of the conversation between Mr Gates and Mr Mason. Watch the extended interview here.

After a careful review of the transcript, we were able to identify the portion of the conversation from which the claim being fact-checked was selected by the author of the claim under scrutiny here. Below is an excerpt of that  interview :

Mason: …is there anything that’s really surprised you about what’s happened?

Gates: You know, I thought we would respond a bit faster. …what we’re doing, how we’re having to change the economy here in order to drop the number of cases, it’s, you know, it’s really unprecedented… Even the issue of once you get the cases numbers down… but what does opening up look like? You know, which activities have, like schools, have such benefit and can be done in a way that the risk of transmission is very low?

Mason: Yeah.

Gates: And which activities, like mass gatherings, may be— in a certain sense— more optional. And so until you’re widely vaccinated, those may not come back at all.

Mynorthwest.com published an article on the interview where the author, Nick Bowman, correctly stated what Mr Gates said in the interview by titling it, “Bill Gates- Mass gatherings might not return until we get coronavirus vaccine.” 

Conclusion

Mr Gates has made his views on the ongoing pandemic known on many occasions. In this particular instance, what he said has been misrepresented. Mr Gates said that there may be the need to ensure wide vaccination of people before mass gatherings can be allowed, to avoid reinfection.

Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah warns Ghanaians that a total lockdown and curfew will be imposed soon – news websites

The headlines of the news reports are misleading. The Information Minister has not announced or warned Ghanaians on an impending curfew and total lockdown.

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Messages sent to Dubawa via WhatsApp, and as seen posted on some media such as kubilive.com and being shared on Facebook, state that the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said that there will soon be an imposition of a total lockdown and curfew in the country. This is present the headlines of articles published by media platforms.

The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo on Sunday, April 19^th, 2020, announced the lifting of the partial lockdown. The decision he said, was, among others, based on the country’s ability to undertake aggressive contact tracing of infected persons, the enhancement of its capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of treatment and isolation centres, and a better understanding of the dynamism of the virus. 

Following the lifting of the lockdown, people, as captured on videos, jubilated on the streets without adhering to the laid down social distancing protocols. This has led to a great worry in the country.

After the president’s announcement, the information minister gave an interview to the ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show on Peace FM, where he said:

“If we continue adhering to the other measures, we don’t expect a spike in infections. The 14 other regions where there was no lockdown, we didn’t see any spike, but if we keep going according to the rules, we are sure there will be no spikes. But if we observe that people are being stubborn, not following the directives and other measures and a spike is identified; that is what the President meant that lockdown and curfew will be put in place. This will be more draconian than the partial lockdown in Accra… So if people feel that they are going to go about doing whatever they want in town, they should know that they put us at the risk of lockdown and curfew.”

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But the news platforms cited above gave misleading headlines in their reporting of the minister’s comment. Whereas the headlines state emphatically that the Minister alerted Ghanaians of an upcoming curfew and total lockdown, the content (body) of the stories indicate the fact that the possibility of that happening is subject to certain conditions.

An example is the story from ghpage.com has the headline “COVID-19: A total lockdown and a curfew will be imposed soon- Oppong Nkrumah warns Ghanaians”. 

However, the content of the story states as follows:

“Ghana’s Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has sent out a strong warning to Ghanaians; saying if they flout other measures put in place to stop the spread of the virus and there is a spike of infections, a more stringent measure will be enforced.”

Dubawa contacted the Ministry of Information to ascertain the truth behind the posts. According to the Minister’s office, the claim being circulated is false and actions are being taken to correct the misinformation. 

We also found that what the Minister said was based on a caveat in the President’s speech of April  19.

“Should there be an unexpected outburst in infections within a community, I have put the health workers and the security services, including the Police Service and the Armed 7 Forces, on standby, to co-ordinate a rapid response of human and logistical resources, if necessary, to cordon, impose a curfew, trace, test, and treat infected persons in the affected community,” the President said.

It is important to note that the minister conditioned his statement by saying “IF”, which means that the possibility of a curfew being imposed is based on the ability of Ghanaians to comply with the established protocols. Some news sites did not, however, reflect that caveat in their headlines.