Akufo-Addo urges Ghanaians to wear face mask properly

Wearing face masks has become “the new normal” since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 15th address to the nation urged Ghanaians to wear face masks the right way at all times to prevent them from contracting the Coronavirus disease.

He then commended Ghanaians for largely obeying the enhanced measures outlined to curtail the spread of the virus, including the wearing of face masks.

He continued: “I have been encouraged by the results of a recent survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service into the use of face masks at selected locations in Accra that the overall intention to use face masks at the sites surveyed was very high, with 82% of persons surveyed possessing a mask. I believe we can do even more, and reach 100%.

The President, however, added: “The same survey demonstrated that only 44% of those who have the mask use them correctly. I urge each and every one of us to wear our masks, and do so correctly anytime we leave our homes. It is the new normal requirement of our daily existence until the virus disappears.”

Akufo-Addo stated further that there are no active cases in the north of Ghana.

This, he attributed to the measures that were put in place to deal with the spread and urged residents in those regions to keep the discipline.

“As of Saturday, the active cases stand at 1,847. This is a clear indication that government policies are working. Currently, there are no recorded COVID-19 cases in the North East Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West Regions and I charge the residents to do everything possible to maintain that situation.

“Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, and Western continue to be the regions with the highest number of active cases. Thus far, a total of 40,567 persons have recovered from the virus. This means our recovery rate has improved from 89.5% to 95.1% in three weeks. Our death rate continues, mercifully, to be low at 5%.

“Happily, there is no backlog of tests at any of our testing centres meaning the situational reports are up-to-date. Indeed test results that used to take weeks are now available within 48 hours,” he said.