When the coronavirus started initially, honestly, I thought it was a China issue and I thought it will be just like the SARS virus and that it will be contained. As the virus began to spread and other countries started posting cases in higher numbers I started to wonder. Most people in Ghana, and even other parts of Africa were doubting its ability to affect black people, and even though if it were to affect them it would be low rate – it was just assumptions.

It is when Ghana started posting cases that I started to realize the virus is real to the extent that people we know were infected.

The lockdown in Ghana was a partial one, that is only two cities went into lockdown namely Accra and Kumasi as they were the hotspots of the virus. Personally, on a positive note, my relationships with my family have really brought out some goodness in me, especially with my sisters. I also got time to reflect on life and discovered new talents. I think being on lockdown brought some positive vibes and challenges, but it was all good to experience it.

This pandemic has taken me three steps back, I had just started my own photography business and this virus thing came, and thus I did not have enough money to prepare for the lockdown; things were very hard for me. I had to sell one of my new computers to get some money. Financially it has really hit me hard, psychologically I am very certain with myself that since it is a pandemic one day it will go, so I don’t let the situation weigh me down.

I am in the second-largest city in Ghana that is Kumasi, and it has one of the highest COVID-19 death toll rates. Most people here engage in trading. Automobile service business people in my city and most of my friends have lost their jobs and Kumasi has a youthful population. Imagine the stress people are going through, some even think COVID-19 is not real, and that statistics are being manipulated by the government. People are not frightened by the numbers anymore and restrictions have been removed so we can do the voters registration.

I hope that a vaccine is found as soon as possible so that normal life can pick up, and frankly, I am tired of wearing a mask and washing my hands, and for the first time, I am washing my hands regularly but not eating. We are being hopeful here, at least we have gained some experience in all this.