Govt distributes 600,000 face masks to tertiary schools as lectures begin

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced stringent measures implemented by the government to ensure that campuses are free from the novel Coronavirus as lectures begin today.

Final year students from the various tertiary institutions are to return to their lecture halls to complete their final semester.

This, the president announced to Ghanaians during his 11th Coronavirus address noting that all private and public educational facilities have been disinfected and provided with logistics for health and safety purposes.

“600,000 face masks have been distributed to the tertiary institutions,” President Akufo-Addo announced in his address.

He indicated that 200,000 students, and teaching and non-teaching staff who are expected back on campus will have three reusable face masks each.

In addition, 1,700 Veronica buckets; 200,000 litres of hand sanitizers; 3,400 litres of liquid soap; and 900 thermometer guns have been distributed.

Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Senior Minister, the president informed the nation, will supervise the transportation and distribution of the said items to the various tertiary educational institutions.

Emphasizing half class sizes, the president stated: "Final year students will begin a six-week period of learning to finish their respective programmes. Subsequently, for a period of four weeks, they will sit for their exit examinations. It must be put on record that some final year University students will not be returning to school, as some of them, through virtual means, have already sat their exit examinations."

In addition to all the measures taken, universities with their own hospitals have been provided with PPEs, and isolation centres provided to cater for any positive cases that would be detected.

Those without health facilities have been mapped to hospitals within the towns the schools are located in.

The president indicated strongly that, there will be no mass gathering and no sports activities except “religious activities under the new protocol will be permitted”.

The President emphasized: “Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm on campus.”