Here are the measures taken to combat the spread of coronavirus in Ghana as schools reopen

Out of an abundance of caution, and in keeping with the efforts to prevent and contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the government has outlined a roadmap for easing the restrictions put in place to help contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country as schools reopen.

President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, June 14, 2020, has made the wearing of face masks mandatory, in the wake of a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana.

He said the Police and law enforcement agencies will enforce this directive through an Executive Instrument.

He stated that the government, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS), continues to monitor daily the spread of the virus, and has benchmarks of health outcomes, which define the mitigation measures that must be pursued to curb the spread of the disease and enable us to reassess the easing of restrictions.

He said "Prior to their return to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, has ensured that all tertiary institutions, public and private, have been disinfected. Universities, with their own hospitals and clinics, have been equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases. All other institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, have been mapped to health facilities. There will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities. Religious activities, under the new protocols, will be permitted. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm on campus. To aid in this effort, a total of six hundred thousand (600,000) face masks have been distributed to the tertiary institutions. This is to enable every student, teaching, and non-teaching staff to have three (3) reusable face masks. In addition to this, one thousand seven hundred (1,700) Veronica buckets, two hundred thousand (200,000) litres of hand sanitisers, three thousand, four hundred (3,400) litres of liquid soap, and nine hundred (900) thermometer guns have been distributed, with the transportation and delivery of these items being overseen by the special logistics team."

According to him, "It is important for me to remind residents of the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, where the great majority of cases have been recorded, and in the Western and Central Regions, where we are seeing an increase in infection cases, to continue to adhere strictly to the social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols announced."

"With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory.

"Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offense. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument," he said.