Ketu South Assembly financially constrained to fight coronavirus – MCE

The Ketu South Municipal Assembly is "financially constrained" and needs government's support to effectively fight and contain COVID-19 in the Municipality, Mr Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has said.

He said the Assembly since the outbreak of the disease in Ghana, had committed financial resources for meetings with key stakeholders to map out strategies to prevent and contain the spread of the virus leading to the quarantine of some illegal travelers who entered the country through the frontiers of the Municipality.

Mr Agbenorwu at a consultative meeting at the Assembly to discuss the way forward in the virus fight said, the Assembly exhausted its finances on activities including; borderline patrol, logistics for the Military, accommodation and feeding for the quarantined, and provision of Veronica buckets with sanitary facilities for public places and some public institutions to fight the disease, thus needed assistance to sustain the fight.

"The Assembly is currently financially constrained and unable to continue to support or fund most of the activities. This is because the borders have been closed, markets closed and other revenue sources for the Municipal Assembly have been closed. The little Internally Generated Fund (IGM) we resourced to procure a deep well mechanised borehole for communities in Hatsukope and its environs have been used to support the fight against COVID-19."

Checks by the Ghana News Agency show that so far, the Municipal Assembly has quarantined a total of 47 travelers (20 Ghanaians and 27 foreigners) with six of the samples testing positive to the disease necessitating their isolation and tracing of contacts.

Mr Agbenorwu said the Ketu South Municipal Hospital, one of the treatment centres in the Volta Region did some assessment required to make the place safe for use by COVID19 patients and health staff, and presented their budget "of which the Municipal Assembly is yet to provide the money.

"We therefore seek your assistance for the Ketu South to fight and contain this COVID-19 pandemic in the Municipality," he appealed.