Upper West NCCE marshal troops against coronavirus

The Upper West Regional Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has marshalled a contingent of civic educators to sensitise residents against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mrs Patience Sally Kumah, the NCCE Regional Director, explained that the contingent, known as civic education foot-soldiers, is exploiting its relative advantage in community advocacy to persuade people to adhere to the safety protocols.

She said the Commission, in view of the rampaging coronavirus pandemic, had launched the “NCCE Anti-COVID-19 Public Education Campaign,” to dissuade residents that COVID-19 was not a myth but a reality.

The team seeks to focus on symptoms of the disease, mode of transmission and the need to observe safety protocols outlined by the World Health Organization and the Ghana Health Service.

The NCCE is undertaking the campaign in collaboration with the Church of Pentecost, which has provided mobile cinema van for the campaign.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday, Mrs Kumah said the four-week campaign was being carried out in all districts, mainly at community lorry stations, market squares, radio stations and information centres.

She said the public, especially those at the countryside, needed to understand that COVID-19 had no cure and that the virus was spread from one person to the other through body contact of fluids like saliva, running nose and breath of infected persons.

“We must continue to hammer on the symptoms of COVID-19 that is coughing, sneezing, fever, difficulty in breathing, tiredness, and sore throat among others to the lowest understanding of every Ghanaian”.

Mrs Kumah said people still found it difficult to adhere to the health protocols such as washing of hands regularly with soap and under running water and covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing with a tissue paper and disposing off it immediately.

“We must also avoid handshake, even though it is not a normal traditional norm, now for the sake of our life, we must stop any form of body contact especially handshake when COVID-19 is over we can go back to our normal way of life”.

Mrs Kumah commended the Church of Pentecost for collaborating with the Commission, as their efforts reinforces the Commission’s aver position that civic education was a shared responsibility.

She appealed to other philanthropic organisations and individuals to support the Commission with Personal Protective Equipment to enhance their work and protect team members from any infection.