Put up effective measures to contain coronavirus spread - Dinah Ohene-Adu

Madam Dinah Ohene-Adu, Disease Control Officer at the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly (NJSMA), has called on the Municipal Assembly to put up effective measures to ensure residents adhered to the safety protocols to manage the spread in the area.

She disclosed that 2,031 coronavirus test samples had so far been taken in the municipality, out of which 346 were confirmed positive and 1, 679 negative with 17 deaths since the pandemic.

She made this known during a drama organised by the Eastern Regional Centre for National Culture (CNC) on the theme "Stop the Spread, Hye Wo Mask, Covid-19 is Real" to raise awareness and educate the public on the measures against Covid-19.

The drama formed part of a nationwide Awareness Campaign organised under the auspices of the National Commission on Culture in collaboration with the National Covid-19 Trust Fund.

She observed that people were not observing the safety protocols especially putting on the mask because they believed the disease did not exist and appealed to the assembly to put in place strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the area.

Mr Peter Marfo, Acting Director of the CNC, Eastern Region, indicated that available statistics from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) showed that most people had given up on the protocols, hence the drama, to convey to the community, the dangers associated with not adhering to the safety protocols.

He explained that the drama served as a reminder for all to constantly wear the nose masks as it was seen as one of the surest ways to halt the spread and urged Ghanaians to keep wearing the mask to protect lives since the second wave of the disease was more dangerous.

He said the drama had coincided with the reopening of schools, as an additional education platform to dramatise the need to observe the safety protocols especially the use of nose mask to help instill the habit of handwashing and frequent use of the alcohol-based hand sanitisers in the schoolchildren especially.

Mr Isaac Apaw Gyasi, Municipal Chief Executive of New Juaben South Municipal Assembly (NJSMA), noted that drama as a means of communication was important as it offered the platform to address social ills.

He said to curb the disease, the Assembly was going to join hands with appropriate stakeholders to continue educating the masses and pleaded with the citizenry to adhere to all protocols, particularly social distancing, to ensure the safety of all.

Nana Twumasi Dankwa, Gyasehene of New Juaben Traditional area, also called on parents to ensure that their children wore the nose masks anytime they left the house especially now that schools had resumed to prevent the spread.