Bridal couple, over 40 guests arrested for flouting ban on gatherings

Police at Obuasi have picked up 49 persons, including a groom and his bride, for flouting the ban on social gathering protocols during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The groom, Philip Ahenekwa, aged 35, and the bride, Ama Frema, aged 40, and the other persons are currently in police custody.

They were arrested by the COVID-19 taskforce at Akaporiso in the Obuasi East District of the Ashanti Region while they were holding the wedding ceremony.

The Obuasi Municipal Police Commander, DSP Martin Asenso, told the media that some of the guests managed to evade arrest.

On the persons arrested, he said: “we will charge all of them and bail them ahead of their court appearance on Tuesday.”

He further issued a warning about social distancing under the current public gathering advisories.

“We aren’t saying you can’t marry. You can be in your room; one or two or three people with your ring. But to have so many people and they were not adhering to social distancing, those are the elements of the offence.”

The detection of the novel coronavirus in Ghana prompted a ban all public gatherings by the government.

Later, Accra, Kumasi, Kasoa and Tema were put under a partial lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

The confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus in Ghana have increased to 408 and the death toll has also risen to eight.

Forty of these cases are in the Ashanti Region, according to the Ghana Health Service.