Hold each other accountable for adherence of coronavirus protocols – Students urged

West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) is urging newly admitted and level 400 students of the University of Ghana to hold each other accountable for the adherence to COVID-19 protocols on campus.

Speaking to UniversNews, Director of WACCBIP, Professor Gordon Awandare advised students who have reported to campus for the commencement of the 2020/2021 academic year should not relent in compelling each other to abide by the prescribed measures.

“A student’s health is at risk if he/she is in a group of colleagues who are not wearing their masks. If he/she has been wearing a mask and protecting him/herself whilst somebody has not been working a mask then that person is putting those wearing at risk. So the students need to hold each other accountable for their own safety. If someone is being careless you need to tell him/her to put on his mask. It is not a joke,” He said.

Newly admitted students of the University of Ghana who were successful in their residential application begun reporting to campus from Monday, January 11, 2020, ahead of the start of academic activities.

Also, Level 400 students of the University begun reporting to their various halls of residence from Thursday, January 14, 2020.

University authorities have appointed Monday, January 18, 2021, for the start of teaching and learning activities.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu has indicated that the University cannot rescind its decision to run a modular system for the 2020/2021 academic year because of the COVID-19 situation on the campus of the university.

According to him, the data of COVID-19 infections among members of the university community was alarming, hence, it will be unhealthy to allow all students to return to campus at a goal.

He also debunked the assertion that there were no recorded infections among students who returned to campus last year to complete the 2019/2020 academic year.

“The times in which we are in are extremely unsual. We have to ensure that we reduce our density in terms of population on campus. The data that we have of Covid-19 infections on this campus is extremely alarming. Thinking through, the idea is that we thin out and I think this is an application of wisdom to the best of my knowledge. If we allow all students to come on campus, I bet you, we may have to lock down this university somewhere along the line. The assertion that when students came on campus to complete the semester nothing happened is certainly not true. We did not get students to know the figures so all that we did was that, once you get infected, we ask you to go home or at that time, we even had an isolation centre, we put you there quietly but the situation is not healthy."

The Environmental Health Services Section of the Physical Development & Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD), University of Ghana, earlier partnered Waste Management Company, Zoomlion Ghana for a disinfection exercise throughout the university on Thursday, January 7, 2021.