Government constitutes sub-committee to enhance safety in schools

Government has constituted a sub-committee of the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force to manage safety in schools and address any challenge that may arise during the next eight weeks final year students would be on campus.

The Sub-committee has been tasked to oversee the operations of the regional monitoring teams which are already in place across the regions and also ensure that the guidelines of campus quarantine are strictly enforced and any gaps swiftly addressed.

Mr Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, made this known at the press briefing held on Thursday to provide an update on Ghana’s COVID-19 case count and case management.

The members of the sub-committee include, Dr Nsiah Asare, the Presidential Advisor on Health; Dr Okoe-Boye, the Deputy Health Minister; and Dr Patrick Kuma- Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service.

The rest are; Dr Aboagye Da Costa, the Director of Health Promotion Ghana Health Service; and Dr Adu Twum, the Deputy Education Minister.

He said the general guidelines of screening and ensuring that logistics are available and utilized on campuses still apply.

The Information Minister, however, encouraged parents to contact 311 when they come across stories relating to their wards in schools.

“The contact line would help parents validate whether the reports they are getting from the school are true to prevent them from gathering in schools out of anxiety which will rather escalate their risk of contracting COVID-19,” he said.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah called on students to desist from holding gatherings even when there is a suspected incident or unfortunate situation as in the case of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Senior High School since it would not be in their interest.

He said the rules on social distancing and COVID-19 preventive etiquettes still apply and urged students to report any incident to the school authorities.

“Where we find that authorities are not doing what is needed in response to the charge the Ghana Education Service and agencies responsible for education, would quickly intervene to ensure the right thing is done,” he said.